Lion Heart: Vengeance of a God
by TalonAlpha3
Summary: When Ichika Orimura entered the IS Academy, he did not expect a second boy to arrive as well. However, this boy, in particular, was all but blind permanently and as to why he is here at the Academy aside from the fact that he is the second male to pilot the IS is all but a mystery. His name is Raiden Hataru, and he only seeks one thing: vengeance. (OC X Houki, Charlotte, Tatenashi)
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**CHAPTER 1 (Prologue)**

Flames were all that could be seen. The smell of burning wood and the scent of smoke hung heavily in the air. And within the house laid the bodies of two people, a man and a woman both killed by a mysterious killer. The blood poured forth from the still bodies, so much that some of it was caught on fire by the flames of the burning house.

Not far away laid a young boy, holding his eyes in the palm of his hands, screaming as the blood poured forth from it. No longer had he had the ability to see for his eyes were slashed out to the point of permanent blindness. As the boy screamed on the floor holding the blood and pain, above him stood his would-be killer, a woman in some sort of mechanical suit with a blood soaked energy saber in her left hand. Her face could not be seen as it was merely covered in shadow, as was the rest of her body mostly.

"Let me ease your end, child." said the woman to the blind boy who was still holding his bloody slashed eyes. This was it. This was the end for him. Nothing but despair and death awaited the poor boy as he continued to hold his bloody eyes. Death was right above him and merely waited for it to come to him.

As she raised the weapon for a final strike against the kid, something caught her attention. Someone broke into the burning home with a loud noise. The killer turned to her right and saw another woman in the same machine as her, carrying what looked like a sword with energy produced from it. Her figure, just like the killer, was very hard to see as it too was covered mostly in shadow.

As the woman with the energy sword looked up, what she saw shook her to the core as she first saw the bodies of the man and the woman lying before she looked even further up and saw the other woman and the young blind boy. She looked closer to see that the boy was holding his eyes that were sliced out and coincidentally shook her with a flurry of emotions. Shock came first as did horror before anger settled in a matter of minutes. Feeling the emotion of rage linger within her, the woman charged forth to the other one and engaged her in combat with the mechanical suit on. Their fight became so intense that they literally flew all over the house before emerging outside in the backyard, continuing their fight in close combat.

As the two fought, the young blind boy, with his permanent blindness, curled up on the floor into a ball and waited agonizingly for death to approach. What felt like an eternity was merely a few seconds as he painfully waited for his end to come to him. A few minutes later, the boy was grabbed up by the woman with the energy sword and flown out of the burning house, before the entire thing crumbled and nothing remained but the burning wood and wild flames. It then began to rain as a storm approached the land, with heavy rainfall bearing down upon the fires, quenching them in the process.

The cool air filled the boys' lungs and the boy endlessly cried at his pain and suffering. He had been rescued but the last thing that he saw before he lost his sight were of his dead parents. He did not cry in tears of joy but of sorrow because of what he had lost that was most precious to him. The pain would never go away for it was a wound that would never heal physically nor psychologically, no matter what treatment would come.

The pilot that held the boy in her arms as she flew to safety looked at him with great pity and sorrow. She had seen what had happened and looked at the slashed eyes with her own. Filled with shock and sorrow, the woman held the boy into her arms and hugged him gently. Silently, she listened to the boy's cries and allowed his blood-soaked tears to fall on her, decorating parts of her face and her suit. She did not care as she knew that his situation needed medical attention and fast. In a race against time, she flew to a nearby hospital with the boy in her arms safely secured.

"I promise that I will never leave you." said the woman to the boy who was not even paying attention to her as he was caught in a web of grief. "I swear that I will protect you and give you a life more deserving than this." The boy remained silent before falling limp and cold, but not just from the cold rain.

The woman got the front door of the hospital, where doctors then emerged and saw to their horror. The woman deactivated her mechanical suit in a flash and collapsed to her knees, clutching the boy with tears flooding her eyes as she pleaded to the doctors,

"Please...save him!"


	2. Chapter 2: The Blind Boy

**CHAPTER 2**

The IS Academy. Some would call this a paradise; others would call this a living hell. And some practically don't have a care in the world. It is a school of knowledge and sport, but also a highly and dangerous place, likely targeted by terrorists and other criminal scum lurking in the shadows. Initially, this was filled with girls only as they were the only ones to pilot the Infinite Stratos, or IS for short. But today, that all changed with two new arrivals with one significant difference: they were both male.

Outside a classroom stood a young 16-year old boy with his arms crossed and leaning on a wall opposite of the room with his head down. He wore a standard issue IS Academy uniform just like the other male pilot that was already in the classroom but came with a gray trench coat for him to wear and black gloves. The boy had long silver hair that stretched down to his shoulders. He wore a blindfold as he could not see but then again, there are other ways to see than with just two eyes.

He listened carefully as the teacher introduced herself and gave an announcement, along with calming the class down. "We have a new student joining with us today. You will treat him with uttermost respect and care. Failure to do so will gain my attention and you will be punished accordingly. Understand?"

The word 'him' caught everyone's attention yet many were confused because they thought that Ichika Orimura, the other male pilot present in their classroom, was what their teacher, Chifuyu Orimura, was speaking about.

"Enter." she ordered to the person outside the classroom. As the door was opened, the person stepped in the classroom. Everyone's eyes, ears, and expressions were caught unto the person and many of them had their jaws dropped and their eyes popped out. Even Ichika and Maya Yamada, the assistant homeroom teacher, were shocked at this appearance.

As the boy made his way to the center, he turned to face the class. Behind him, his name was shown on the holographic board. Then the boy spoke to them in a rather melancholic voice.

"My name is Raiden Hataru. If anyone is wondering, yes. I am blind...permanently."

A silent void filled the room and ten seconds later, a loud yell came from everyone's mouths.

"WHAT?!"

Questions were being raised by students among themselves loudly. Questions that were more about who Raiden was and why he was blind. Chifuyu, noticing this, yelled in a loud voice to quiet everyone down.

"ENOUGH!"

That command got everyone to turn their attention to her and keep their mouths closed for the time being.

"Hataru, take your seat behind Orimura." ordered Chifuyu in a calm voice.

Raiden did as command yet as he walked past by and sat down behind him, Ichika got some shivers down his spine. In his mind, questions were raised about this new pilot. But he held out some optimism, hoping to get to know Raiden and be a friend to him.

* * *

Class lessons ended as everyone took a break. Ichika was just asked by a girl with a long ponytail out on the roof and left with her. Before she did, she took one glance at Raiden who had his fingers interlocked and head down, almost as if he was thinking. After a quick glance, she took off with Ichika.

Raiden wandered and waited outside the classroom for class to start again. Not many of the girls approached him as they were still trying to process that the Academy now has two male students instead of one. With his head down and leaning towards the back of the wall, Raiden waited. Soon enough, his homeroom teacher approached next to him.

"Raiden." greeted Chifuyu but Raiden remained silent while also giving a slight nod. The sadness lied heavily in the air and Chifuyu came and placed her hand on Raiden's shoulder.

"I am so sorry." acknowledged a sad Chifuyu. Raiden remained silent yet as he pondered, small tears started to form and came down through the blindfold and hitting the ground. Chifuyu gave a quick hug to Raiden before letting go lest she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of everyone.

"I'm tempted to slap you." said Raiden. Chifuyu gave a confused look but did not show it visibly. "For you just say 'I am sorry' is almost nothing to me. To have lost all I held dear..." His breathing started to become erratic as were his tears.

"Raiden." said Chifuyu as he looked over to her. "Do not add any more weight than you already carry. It was my mistake to leave you. And I don't want that same mistake to happen again."

"Orimura-sensei...But I..."

Raiden looked down, slightly confused yet Chifuyu brought her hand to his chin to look at him.

"No. Please. Don't do it. And, call me Chifuyu when we're all alone on break, ok?" The school bell rang which meant lessons are back in schedule. Chifuyu returned to her stern composure.

"We'll talk of this later. For now, return to your seat."

Raiden entered the room and took his seat behind Ichika's desk. Class was then back in session.

To Raiden and everyone else, learning about the Infinite Stratos was simple and easy. Unfortunately, there was one among the class who never understood anything about it. He even told Yamada-sensei that he never understood any of it.

Not to mention the fact that the book given to the class was important to read and memorize. Ichika, dumb as ever, threw it away. When Raiden heard of this, he hung his head low. Oh how he pitied the student in front of him and also felt disappointed.

 _Chifuyu, is it me or has your brother always been this dumb?_ Raiden thought to himself.

* * *

When classes ended for another break Ichika and Raiden were at their desks. Ichika was monologuing to himself while Raiden was reminiscing with his back laid back and arms crossed over himself. Just then, another student approached the two, a British blonde student whose appearance was not to be judged falsely.

"Excuse me, may I speak to you two?" asked the girl.

"Huh? Did you need something?" asked Ichika as he got distracted. Raiden stayed silent. Then the girl immediately felt insulted and yelled.

"What?! What kind of response is that? You should be honored that I am speaking to you two, so you should respond in appropriate manners."

Cecilia Alcott, born of nobility and raised to arrogance. She went on about how both Ichika and Raiden were not meant to be here in the first place. Already, she became an annoyance but

Raiden paid no attention to her as he had been well trained to ignore certain distractions and focus in having a calm mind. However, a certain distraction made even Raiden bang his head on the table.

"What is a representative candidate?" asked Ichika after Cecilia told them of her status. Everyone in the girl did an anime fall while Raiden only lowered his head. Cecilia explained to them what a representative candidate is and what it's supposed to mean in the world today.

She then asked "But never mind that. What I want to know is how you two even were accepted into the Academy in the first place? I'm amazed you were allowed into this school when you know nothing! I heard you're able to pilot an IS, but so far you've both been disappointments. But since I'm exceptional, I'll be nice to people such as you but not the other one." Cecilia pointed her finger at Raiden.

Raiden felt an angry growl within his soul, almost ready to show it as he slowly moved his hand to his inward pocket, looking as if ready to draw something. "After all, I'm the elite amongst elites for being the only one to defeat the drill instructor during the exam."

Luckily, Raiden was saved by Ichika, unknown to him, as he said.

"Uh...I defeated one too." That statement shocked Cecilia. "To be exact, she charged at me, so I got out of the way, and she slammed into a wall and didn't move."

"What? But…that's impossible. They said I was the only one!"

 _Perhaps the only one of the girls._ thought Raiden.

The class bell rang and Cecilia returned to her seat, promising to finish their conversation another time. Sessions were to begin once more.

* * *

Lecture went along as usual and lunch was around the corner. Before everyone was permitted to leave, Chifuyu made an announcement.

"Before you depart, you are to choose a representative for our class. Who will you pick?" Immediately, the girls began to call out one by one.

"I vote for Orimura-kun."

"I vote for Hataru-sama."

Ichika seemed stunned at this but Raiden was indifferent. He made no response to his name being called.

"Does anyone have any objections to this?" asked Orimura-sensei. The suddenly, a pair of hands slammed the desk she sat at. Unsurprisingly to Raiden, it was Cecilia.

"I will not accept this!" Everyone's attention turned to her except for Raiden who was keen to just listen without turning his head towards her. "You would have one of the two boys represent our class? I will not allow it! It should be I, Cecilia Alcott, that should lead this class to its glory. Not to either one of those two boys who know nothing of the IS! It's bad enough I had to come to this speck of a country."

That last statement was drawn too far. Ichika and Raiden were clearly insulted but Raiden learned to control his emotions.

"England's not any bigger than Japan, and we didn't get the award for world's worst cuisine, did we?"

That made Cecilia angry to the point where she declared "You dare mock my home country? I will not stand for this! I challenge you two to a duel!"

"Fine. It's easier than settling this as a debate!" responded Ichika.

"I decline."

The class was silent for a second as everyone turned to Raiden who had just stood up after his statement. Even Cecilia and Ichika were surprised at this.

"What?" asked Ichika as the blind boy turned to face him. "Why?"

Raiden, after a small moment, explained "I have no reason to fight anyone to prove my point nor do I have any interest to lead this class as its representative." Raiden turned to Ichika. "You are a better leader than I am despite your flaws, which makes you perfect for the job."

Raiden then turned to Orimura-sensei and asked "Orimura-sensei, with your permission, I would like to be taken off the candidacy and duel for representative."

Chifuyu then said "Very well. Under your reasoning, Hataru, you will not participate in the duel nor will you be one of the candidates selected as class representative."

Even the class got shocked at this response. Yamada-sensei then said "But Orimura-sensei, the contestants are not allowed to decline the challenge as the rules say."

Chifuyu turned her head over and with a glare, said "Hataru's reasoning is convincing enough for me to take him out. Do not question me again, Yamada-sensei." Yamada immediately flinched and went back to her normal composure.

This year was going to be interesting.


	3. Chapter 3: Ichika vs Cecilia

**CHAPTER 3**

Raiden was carrying his school supplies and a piece of paper. It was information about his living status and what room he will be staying in. He was on the second floor, which was restricted for second-year students only. Raiden wondered why he would be put up top but thought of it to be irrelevant.

As he walked to the room he was assigned, some of the second year girls saw him and became curious. Every single one of them followed Raiden to his assigned room and when he got there, someone was waiting for him. She was a figure of light blue hair and dark red eyes, along with a voluptuous figure with slender thighs. Her uniform consists of a typical white and red blouse that is shorter compared to the others, with a yellow tie and a light yellow overcoat around it along with red leggings.

The blunette leaned back on the door with a blue fan of some sorts, trying to hide her face. She signaled the others to leave as they did yet some poked their heads out to watch the action.

As Raiden approached the door and the girl, he said "You're in my way."

With a mischievous smile, the blunette girl said "Oh, my. Such an icy tone. Perhaps this new boy needs a lesson from me. It would be a shame to let this first time to go to waste, hmm?" She flicked her fan together and traced it along Raiden's body. She could feel every muscle protruding from the body but she was excited about the abdomen as there were clearly six of them showing out. The girls that were watching blushed and gossiped among themselves.

Raiden, with an unemotional face, asked "What makes you think this is my first time?" With a flicker of her fan and hiding behind a mischievous smile, she answered "Te he he. Let's find out, shall we?"

She opened the door and allowed Raiden to enter. After Raiden dropped his stuff off, he laid on the bed. The blunette girl with the fan followed through and locked the door. Some of the girls outside stood by the door with their ear on it, listening and trying to figure out what's going on behind the scenes.

 _There's something strange about her. She seems to know who I am._

As Raiden laid on the bed with his fingers interlocked together resting on his chest, the blunette girl decided to get kinky and, like a cat, crawled on the bed to meet him. Raiden, however, knew where the cat was and lightly flicked her forehead. She gave a pouty Nya~! and playfully scratched Raiden and kept at this until a knock was heard at the door. Raiden got up and opened it and it was Chifuyu Orimura.

"Come with me. I have something to show you."

As soon as Raiden left, the blunette girl back in the room was snickering to herself and said "He he he. Hataru-san, this is going to be fun."

* * *

As Raiden walked with Chifuyu, the latter noticed Raiden's professional manner and unemotional face. Wanting him to relax, she said "Raiden, cut the tension. What's on your mind lately?"

Raiden, giving a small sigh, said "It's about what you said yesterday. You didn't take me off just because you were persuaded, didn't you?"

Chifuyu, smiling, said "No, I did not. I wasn't even convinced in the first place to begin with."

Raiden stopped and Chifuyu noticed this. She got in front of him before he asked "Why?"

In an act of surprise, Chifuyu hugged Raiden. She then explained "I want you to get comfortable here first. To know that you are in good hands, for your own safety. I'm not going to abandon you again."

Raiden was left a little bit speechless, until another question popped up. "Then I take it rooming me with a second-year student was your idea as well?"

Chifuyu released the hug and answered "She isn't just a second-year student. She's the president of the IS Academy, Tatenashi Sarashiki. And before you say it, she knows everything about you."

"What?" asked a surprised Raiden, having felt a hint of betrayal from the one person he trusts.

"Do not misunderstand. I did not pair you two coincidentally."

Raiden took the time and finally understood. Tatenashi was meant to help Raiden per Chifuyu's personal orders. Raiden was not sure to be either grateful or disturbed at this fact.

As the two continued their walk, they arrived at one of the hangars of the arena. In front of them was an inactive IS. It was small and gray in color, hardly having anything striking to itself in terms of design.

"This is your Personal IS, Lion Heart. It's a prototype 2nd Generation IS fitted for both close and long range combat." Chifuyu explained as Raiden looked to examine the inactive IS in its default mode. "Approach the IS and activate it with your hand. Then mount it." Chifuyu ordered. Raiden did as command and soon enough, a bright light shined upon the IS as it recognized Raiden's touch. Then, Raiden mounted it, first trying to get adjusted to the IS.

"Go out to the field. I'll join you shortly…along with someone else."

Raiden took off from the hangar and, being a quick learner, landed at the middle of the arena. He thought he would be seeing someone else here before Chifuyu but he was all alone. A few minutes later, Chifuyu walked out and explained the situation.

"Given the gravity of the situation, I've decided to take you in as my personal student. You will be training under me in after school lessons for you to get use to the IS."

"You don't want me to just rush into the enemy first, do you? That's why you're training me." speculated the blind boy.

"Exactly. But there is a little more to it than that." answered Chifuyu. "Now, I'm sure that other person should be arriving about now."

Just then, Raiden looked up and saw something fall towards him. It looked like an IS but green in color and looked like an ordinary Rafale-Revive with someone piloting it. And it was falling fast.

"WAAAGGGHHH! Watch out! I have no control over it!" screamed the pilot. Raiden simply walked over to the right and the pilot crashed hard into the arena floor, making somewhat a crater. As soon as the dust settles, Raiden saw the pilot.

Maya Yamada. His assistant homeroom teacher in an IS.

"When did you learn to pilot like that, Yamada-sensei?" asked an irritated Chifuyu, knowing that she just made a mess of the arena.

Maya chuckled a bit to herself and apologized "I'm sorry. It's just, it's been a while since I've piloted something like this."

Chifuyu sighed, knowing this was going to be a long day. Raiden then asked "So why is Yamada-sensei here?"

Chifuyu answered "I've enlisted her help so that you can achieve your first shift today. Right now though, I want to teach you the basic controls of the IS and of using your weapons. Then you will duel Yamada-sensei in the hopes that you can achieve the first shift."

Raiden understood yet he saw in Chifuyu that she was worried he would get hurt. All that Raiden had on him for weapons was a gun that looked like a parallel sword holstered on his right hip for him to draw.

"I know that you are a quick learner and a smart student but we need to go over the basic controls of the IS. Let's start with walking." ordered Chifuyu.

* * *

After an hour and a half of learning the basic controls of an IS, from walking to flying, Raiden was pitted against Maya Yamada. The latter was up high with her sniper rifle at the ready. Raiden flew up to her and, per Chifuyu's command, commenced the match for a thirty-minute time limit.

A bullet from Yamada's sniper fired. Raiden, anticipating this, dodged much of Yamada's shots, albeit getting grazed in a few places. He narrowed his eyes as Yamada turned her sniper toward him.

Raiden flew towards Yamada-sensei and drew out his gun. He rapidly fired on her as the two traded off shots.

Then, in an act of surprise, Yamada fired two bullets with the both of them grazing each other to distract Raiden's eyes. Raiden was hit hard in the chest and head and his energy levels plummeted to 40%. Falling to the arena, Yamada-sensei unleashed her rockets and they collided to Raiden, creating a cloud of smoke that covered him.

Everyone who went over to watch thought the match was over. But then, two white laser beams emerged from the smoke and one of them hit Yamada-sensei, sending her spiraling out of control briefly before she regained composure.

When the smoke cleared, Raiden's IS changed. It was no longer the gray; small zero shift IS that it was before.

Its appearance looked similar to Yamada's Rafale-Revive but designed to look slimmer and gave a human-like feel to it. It is shown to be silver in color on the main body with streaks of black on its outlines along with gold trimmings. The head of the pilot, a mask in the form of a lion's head, covers half of the face, leaving the jaw and neck unarmored with two fangs of a lion sticking out and razor teeth in between them. It was equipped with two lascannons on its shoulders and holstered two hand guns that were similar to the one Raiden used earlier. ( **For reference, go to Google and type in Gundam Lionheart** )

In Raiden's hand was a gunblade, a weapon consisting of a sword blade with a gun action built the hilt, the barrel running inside the length of the blade.

Raiden wasted no time as he charged forward to Yamada-sensei and struck her with the gunblade, then he pointed his bladed weapon and fired, creating an explosion that knocked Yamada-sensei out of the sky and crash into the arena.

Raiden descended and went over to check on Yamada. Seeing that she was okay and had only mere scratches, she got up and deactivated her IS. Raiden went over to Chifuyu next who stood with a glare before she gave a warm smile of success.

"Excellent. With your personal IS now in its first shift, we can begin the real training from here on out." Raiden gave a nod, then deactivated his IS. "Your IS is in its standby mode in the form of your blindfold. As AIs, the IS can choose what form they covet the most to their own wishes and of their pilots. You will be able to summon it without a commanding voice in due time. I want you to practice that in your free time." Raiden, with a light tap on the blindfold, activated his IS then deactivated it.

"Go get some rest, ok?" said Chifuyu. "You deserve it." Raiden complied as Chifuyu watched him, giving off a smile for feeling proud of him.

* * *

Raiden was at the dojo in his training outfit, practicing with an iron war fan as he made several strikes in the air. Each strike he felt was clean and on target, as he imagined being surrounded by soldiers and swinging his fan to places on their body that would either knock them out or kill them.

Then, Raiden heard footsteps coming into the dojo. He need not need to turn his head for within his mind, he saw who approached him. It was a girl, Japanese of ethnicity with a long brown ponytail held together by a long hairband-like ribbon.

Houki Shinonono. And she didn't come alone. Turns out she was helping Ichika with his training as it had been some time since doing Kendo. Houki stopped to glance for one moment at Raiden before she turned her attention to Ichika. In her mind, she couldn't stop thinking of the blind student, questioning if Raiden is really an IS pilot to begin with.

Raiden, thinking that he was intruding, decides to leave and not pay any attention to the two as Raiden knew that their training was to prepare for Cecilia's challenge. Unknown to him, Houki watched as the blind boy leave, surprising to see that he remembered that he had put on his shoes before walking out the door.

As Raiden walked over to his dorm, his cell phone began to ring. He picked his cellphone out of his pocket, which was a Samsung flip phone, and accepted the call.

"This is IQ-532."

"We've got a mission for you, Raiden." said a womanly voice. "We'll debrief you on your way. Sending coordinates."

"Copy that." Raiden ends the call and, after returning to his dorm room and changing into a more formal attire which was nothing more than a casual plain gray shirt with a dark brown jacket and jeans coupled with black leather shoes, leaves for the garage.

Raiden then proceeds to the garage area where, surprisingly, he had in it his own personal motorbike, a Black Kawasaki NinjaA® 300 ABS Sports Motorbike. It looked fancy and expensive, yet it was one of the many gifts and memories Raiden had kept with him. As he dragged it out, he started its engines and rode off to his location.

However unknown to him, Chifuyu was watching from behind a pillar yet decided to confront him about it later, returning to her office.

* * *

The day of the duel came a week later. Houki and Ichika were outside in the hangar while Maya, Chifuyu, and Raiden were at the command center.

"Do you think he stands a chance?" asked Raiden. "That's up to him to decide." responded Chifuyu.

Raiden looks slightly to Chifuyu's way as the woman notices this. "You know better than to question me."

"I know." responded Raiden. He looked down to see Houki and Ichika have a small talk while waiting for the IS. What he did not notice was Houki give a small glance to the blind boy next to Chifuyu before turning back.

"Hey, Houki?" Ichika said.

"What?" said Houki as she seemed to pretend to not know anything about it.

"You were supposed to teach me about the IS, right?"

Houki only grunted and averted eye contact with her childhood friend.

"Don't look away! We did nothing but practice Kendo this week."

"W-What could have we done? Your IS isn't here yet…"

"Even without the unit, isn't there theory or other basics we could have covered?" asked Ichika.

"How to operate an IS along with 'theories or other basics' are not all there is to it, An-chan." Raiden said over the speaker, having to have heard the conversation. Ichika got shocked and merely looked up to Raiden who was next to Chifuyu and only gave a look of exasperation.

"Orimura-kun, Orimura-kun! Your IS has arrived!" said Yamada-sensei over the speaker.

A wall just next to Houki and Ichika slid open to reveal a silver IS unit with a large pair of metal wings, held to the armor by a blue metal holder. The structure was similar to Cecilia's unit, but with slight difference in wing shapes and color.

"This is your personal IS, Byakushiki!" Yamada identified.

"Suit it up now. We don't have too much time in the arena, so format and fit it during the fight." Chifuyu ordered.

As Ichika approached the IS, he reached out to his hand to touch it and felt something stir within him. He was a little surprised at what he had felt.

"Orimura-kun, are you alright?" asked Yamada-sensei.

"Y-Yeah." said Ichika. He then thought only to himself,

 _I remember feeling this before. I can understand it, feel it, hear it._

"Lean back into it as you suit up." ordered Chifuyu. "As if you are sitting. The system will optimize the rest for you."

Ichika proceeded to do as instructed as the IS grappled onto him before it came online.

 **Access…System start…**

"So this is Byakushiki…" said Ichika.

"IS come with a function called Absolute Defense. It's designed to at the very least save the pilot's life no matter what attack lands. However, when it activated, shield energy will be drained." Yamada-sensei explained.

Raiden could only think to himself.

 _At the very least he won't have to die, or I'll be carrying a body around._

"Orimura, you feeling alright?" Chifuyu asked."

Ichika responded confidently, "Yeah, I can do this!"

Chifuyu gave a smile, to Raiden's surprise, and said "I see."

Ichika then stepped onto the launch pad and locked the IS into it.

"Houki." called Ichika.

"W-What?" asked Houki who stuttered a bit in surprise.

"I'm off. Wish me luck!" he smiled.

"Y-Yeah. Go win this!" She gave a firm look of determination.

Ichika was off. The launch pad sent him across the inner barracks and out towards the arena.

 _At least he can fly well._ Raiden thought to himself.

Cecilia's machine, "Blue Tears", is bright blue and has four unique rear fins on the back armor, making it look royal and knightly.

Cecilia was wielding a large, 2m long gun - Byakushiki's readout told Ichika it was identical to a six or seven caliber laser gun called "Starlight Mark III". As the IS was originally developed for space activity, it can just float in the sky, so it's not strange for her to wield a weapon taller than she is.

The arena was 200 meters in diameter, and the time estimate for a shot to reach its target was only about 0.4 seconds. The bell indicating the start of the match had already rung, so an attack will come anytime now.

"I'll give you one last chance."

Cecilia pointed at Ichika with the hand that was on her hip; her other hand casually held the muzzle of her rifle pointed downwards.

"Chance?"

"It's obvious that I'll defeat you overwhelmingly. So if you don't want to find yourself battered to a pulp and pathetically begging for mercy, I may forgive you if you apologize now."

"You can't really call that a chance!"

"Oh, I can't? Well, too bad for you! Time to say goodbye!"

Cecilia then pulled out her rifle and scored a direct hit on Ichika, who only stood and held his hands up despite getting shot directly.

 _Idiot. You don't use hands for cover._ Raiden thought.

"Damn it! I can't keep up with Byakushiki's reactions!" Ichika said to himself.

In an IS battle, one contestant wins if their opponent's shield energy falls to 0. But if that happens, only the armor is left to protect the pilot. If the armor is pierced through, there'll be actual damage. This is different from shield strikes, where energy can be redistributed to shore up the damaged areas. Armor damage, no matter how big or small, will end up affecting the battle.

The IS has a last line of defense, called "absolute defense", which is designed to keep the pilot alive at all costs. It can block any attack, but will drastically reduce the energy reserve. At least, that's what it said in the textbook, so it must be true, right? Since Ichika was hit on the shoulder, the IS didn't activate "absolute defense", probably concluding that "a shoulder isn't vital; it's all right if it's blown away." How comforting.

"Now, dance. Dance to the waltz that Cecilia Alcott and Blue Tears are playing!"

Shot after shot after shot. Cecilia's attacks continued to rain down on Ichika, and they were all so precise, it was impossible to dodge every one. The shield energy continued to drop, and Byakushiki continued sound alerts.

"Weapon! Where are my weapons!?"

Immediately after asking this, a weapon checklist appeared before his eyes… with only one weapon?

"There's only one?! Well, at least it's better than nothing!"

Ichika chose the close combat sword, helpfully called "name unspecified", and summoned it.

With a high-pitched chime, his right shoulder released a ball of light, which shaped itself into a sword right in his hand. This 1.6 meter long "sword" is his weapon.

"So that's your plan? To challenge my long-range IS with a hand-to-hand weapon? What a joke!"

Cecilia launched another attack. Though Ichika managed to dodge it, the distance between his opponent and him was a staggering 27 meters. That might as well have been several kilometers. However…

"I will not give up!"

His shield energy was down to 67, and the actual damage assessment was at "medium." Though he is using his weapon, it's just barely.

"You've lasted longer in an initial match against Blue Tears than anyone."

Cecilia looked like she was praising a dog that had managed to chase down a Frisbee as she stroked the four independent mobile weapons that floated around her.

One of the mobile weapon things had a "BT laser muzzle" installed directly on it. I'm not sure what "BT" stands for, but I'm pretty sure it's complicated, so they simplified it to "Blue Tears".

In other words, this is the first IS to be equipped with the prototype armaments called "Blue Tears", so they named the whole IS after them. Cecilia has been rattling on about her amazing third generation IS for the past 27 minutes - even though Ichika didn't ask. Got to remember to thank her for the explanation.

"But let's end this!"

Cecilia chuckled and raised her right arm, commanding two of the Blue Tears to – bah, it's too complicated to explain. Suffice to say, two of the BIT lasers attacked Ichika simultaneously from different angles.

"Gah!"

The BTs boxed Ichika in from above and below, started to glow, and then fired high-intensity lasers. Regardless of whether he could block or dodge them, Cecilia will use the opportunity to fire on him with her rifle. She's already used the tactic several times.

"I'll take your left leg!"

With that shot fired, Cecilia has already penetrated the left leg's armor, so if she hits it again, the 'absolute defense' will definitely be activated and the shield energy will drop to 0, and Ichika will lose.

Sparks flew as metal scraped metal. Ichika pushed his acceleration to maximum and slammed into Cecilia's rifle, forcing it aside. Ichika finally managed to avoid being hit, at least once.

"What!? You're just messing around, but resistance is futile!"

Cecilia pulled away from him and swept her left hand across her body. In response, the 2 BITs that were on standby came flying at him.

 _Now I get it._ _Dodge past the lasers – swing down with the sword – YES! I feel metal being sliced in half…_

Blue and white sparks danced on the BT that was sliced in half, and it exploded. One down.

"How did you…?"

Cecilia was stunned, and Ichika pounced on the opportunity. He flanked behind her and swung the sword down hard.

"Ooooooh..."

Cecilia dodged the attack and waved her right hand. BITs 2 and 3 came after him.

"These weapons will only move on your commands! Also…"

After taking a moment to track their movements, Ichika destroyed the rear boosters on BT2 and it went down.

"…you can't launch any other attacks, because you have to concentrate on the BT commands, right?"

Cecilia's right eyebrow twitched as Ichika seemed to have struck a nerve. There are only two BTs left, and Ichika can already guess where they're going. They'll attack him from an angle where his reaction will be the slowest.

The IS offers a complete field of vision, but the humans who use it can't "look" behind, below and above simultaneously. The brain need a moment to processes the information, and Cecilia must be watching for that moment to launch her attack. On the other hand, it means that Ichika can lure the enemy to attack from where he wants. The logic is simple; he just need to create an opening, let the opponent attack from there, and launch his counterattack.

 _This will work! I just need to concentrate._

Ichika gripped the sword in his right hand. The training he did after school with Houki has been unexpectedly helpful. Kendo is basically about the strike, and Ichika hasn't lost the fighting sense he gained from his years of study, even though he was still pretty rusty.

 _Is it just me, or is Byakushiki more agile? You'd expect an IS to perform worse the more damage it accumulates, but for some reason I feel like the response speed is a lot faster than it was at the beginning of the match. If I can close the distance, I'll have the advantage._

Cecilia said herself that her IS is a long-range type. At a distance suitable for close-range combat, that long rifle is completely useless, and from what Ichika see, she doesn't have any close range equipment.

She might have close-range equipment on "standby", but if Ichika could close the distance fast enough, she shouldn't be able to deploy it in time.

Ichika entered striking range of Cecilia and swung his sword to destroy BIT3. Thanks to the IS's zero gravity mechanism, he was able to kick BIT4 away.

She can't get a bead on him with her rifle, so this is the perfect time to land a hit on her.

"I've got you!"

Cecilia smirked as the skirt-shaped armor spread from Cecilia's abdomen, and two sections activated.

"I'm sorry, but there are six Blue Tears!"

Ichika can't dodge them in time! They're not the same as the laser-mounted BTs – they seem to be auto-tracking missiles. He was trapped in the center of a white-hot explosion.

"ICHIKA!"

Houki cried out when she saw Ichika vanish behind Cecilia's attack.

Chifuyu and Maya halted in the middle of their squabble and looked at the screen in alarm. A screen filled with nothing but black smoke greeted them, and their squabble was forgotten.

"Humph." While the smoke cleared, Chifuyu let out a derisive snort, but the relief on her face was unmistakable. "The IS saved you, you fool." Raiden could only agree to that statement.

The clearing smoke seemed like a curtain being pulled back to reveal a new and changed Byakushiki…

"Formatting and optimization complete." The voice sounded directly in his consciousness. "Please confirm."

 _What? What now?_

A window appeared in front of me, with a "confirm" button right in the middle. Ichika didn't know any better, so he pressed the button. After that, a wealth of information came flowing into me.

 _No, wait! Shouldn't Byakushiki be processing this information for me?_

Somehow, he understood what was going on. He could feel the importance of this transformation. A high-frequency sound echoed in his head, but he could sense a gentleness within it.

At that moment, the IS was wrapped in light - no, the ball of light WAS Byakushiki, disappearing and then reshaping itself.

"Is this…?"

The newly-shaped IS glowed dimly, and all the damage from the match was erased in its newly refined appearance.

"Don't - Don't tell me that's your first shift? How could anyone last this long in a match with their IS in a default setting!?" Cecilia was, if possible, even more stunned.

So that's what the window displaying "Formatting complete" and "Settings optimized" meant: This IS has finally become his own.

Ichika looked at his suit. The harsh lines that were there in the beginning were gone, replaced by polished curves reminiscent of medieval armor.

What had changed the most was his weapon.

"Close range enhanced sword Yukihira Nigata."

The blade seemed more like a katana than a European longsword. There was a shallow groove on the blade itself, which glowed with a sense of expectation. It was so powerful and intricate; it could only be a sword for an IS.

Most important was its name: "Yukihira Nigata". That's what Chifuyu-'s weapon was called: "Yukihira". Apparently, this sword is an upgraded version of Chifuyu's weapon.

"I really do have the best sister in the world."

No matter how far Ichika looked back, whether it's three years, six years ago, or even fifteen years ago, Chifuyu had always been there for him. However, to him, it's about time to change the relationship. It's time for him to stop needing protection. From today onwards -

"I'll be the one to protect my family!"

"What are you blabbering about?"

"I'm saying I'll defend Chifuyu-nee's name! It'll look lame if her brother's a weakling."

"Ahh! You're such a pain!"

The two BTs reloaded themselves with guided missiles, and Cecilia ordered them towards him. It's another multi-angle attack, trying to catch him in a crossfire, and they're faster than the laser-type BTs. However—

"Too late! I've already seen them!"

Ichika clenched his right hand. Yukihira Nigata seemed eager to commence the attack, as it vibrated with a deep mechanical hum. He already knew how to use it, since he watched a few of Chifuyu's matches without her knowing, and he remember how she used the Yukihira.

The blade split along its glowing line, and a blade of light stabbed outward. With a flick of his wrist, the new blade flashed, and the BTs speeding toward him were cut in half, and passed by harmlessly before exploding.

Ichika rode the shockwave from their explosion forward to attack Cecilia. The suit shot forward, and he could sense everything around him was so much clearer than before. Byakushiki seemed to know his thoughts, and it was much easier to control.

The energy pulsing through the sword hand became steadily more intense, and Yukihira's blade glowed brighter, eager to unleash its power.

"Yes! I CAN WIN THIS!"

"He's going to lose." said Raiden.

Ichika charged right at Cecilia, and swung with a reverse strike.

…but just before the attack landed, a buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the match.

"Match concluded. Winner: Cecilia Alcott."

"What?" Ichika was shocked.

"What?" So was Cecilia.

And it wasn't just them. All the spectators in the 3rd arena, including Houki and Yamada-sensei, who were watching the match from the control room, felt the same. Everyone was simply shocked.

Only two people - only Chifuyu and Raiden – seemed to understand. They were both wearing that "I can't stand you right now" look.

"Called it." said Raiden.

* * *

Chifuyu, Maya, and Raiden met with Ichika down at the hangar.

"So…why did I lose?" asked Ichika dumbly. For Raiden, he gave a disappointing yet understandable sigh.

"You lost because you didn't consider the impact your attack would have on your own IS." Chifuyu explained. "Now you've learned the hard way, haven't you? Starting tomorrow, I expect hard work out of you. Activate and control that IS every spare minute, got it?"

"...Yes."

Ichika nodded. What else could he do? Raiden could only guess that he deserved it after Ichika followed up all the bravado with such a spectacular loss.

 _Get too cocky and you end up lower than the jackal._ Raiden thought to himself.

"The IS is in standby mode right now, but if you call it, it'll deploy right away." Yamada-sensei said. "However, there are quite a few rules and regulations that go along with having your own IS, so please study this closely."

Yamada-sensei handed a book in front of Ichika as he took it, and it landed with a thud on his arms. A deep, ominous thud. The cover says it's about the IS, but it sure looks like a phone directory - for all of mainland China. Not only is it miserably thick, the pages are extra thin. How many pages are in there, anyway?

"That's it for today. Head back to your room and rest. Hataru, Arena 2 for private training at sunset."

Raiden nodded before he came over to Ichika and said,

"Good luck with that, An-chan. Don't cock it up."

Ichika only looked on in confusion as he asked himself what Raiden meant by that.

* * *

Houki and Ichika were walking back to the dormitory as soon as sunset had arrived. Raiden was at Arena 2 with private training in his IS. And yet Ichika never got to see Raiden in his IS. Maybe one day he will when they get a chance.

"Ichika."

"Hm, what's up?"

Is she actually talking to him? Did she read his mind and know what he was thinking about her? That would be really convenient – way better than a cell phone, and Ichika wouldn't have to pay monthly bills. How alluring.

"It's just… well... Are you unhappy about losing?"

"Of course I am."

"Is, is that so? That's good...Then, s-starting tomorrow... um… you'll have to start some intensive IS training."

Why was she trying to sound so courteous? Is that a note of distress Ichika can hear beneath the courtesy...? Now he could really use Raiden as he was much better trained in his sense of hearing and smelling.

"So are you still gonna teach me how to control an IS?"

"I, I don't intend to force you! Wouldn't you prefer Orimura-sensei to teach you?"

"No, it would just annoy Chifuyu-nee, and I don't want people to misinterpret it as favoritism."

"How, how about getting a senpai to teach you? The seniors could teach you lots of things, and it's important for you to learn as quickly as possible."

Ichika thought Houki would try to change the subject, but these leading questions are just weird. And why does she keep glancing at him? It seems like she's waiting for something.

"Ok, I get it. Since you don't want to, I'll just look for someone…"

"I DIDN'T SAY I DIDN'T WANT TO!"

She's scary, shouting out all of a sudden like that. Ichika kind of shrank back from her. Houki seemed to notice that she was too fierce, and immediately pulled herself together.

"Then... _ahem*_. I-Ichika, do you want me to teach you?"

"Of course I do! That's why I asked you to begin with. Plus, I figured we could also use Raiden. He seems to be knowledgeable on the IS."

It would be so much easier to learn from friends he is comfortable with instead of having other girls teach him. Besides Houki is Tabane Shinonono's little sister, so she should understand the IS pretty well, right?

As for Raiden, well given that he learns the IS much better than Ichika did, it wouldn't hurt for one boy to ask another boy for some help, would it?

"Oh, is that so? Heehee! I see. I guess I have no choice then."

Houki started playing with her hair again, continually flicking her long ponytail with her fingers.

"All right, since these are _special circumstances_ , I hereby agree to teach you about the IS. However, if you want me to teach you, you need to tell me everything about Raiden, okay?"

For some reason, it felt like she emphasized the words "special circumstances" quite a bit. Truthfully, Ichika really grateful for it, though. If he were to continue losing to girls, his male ego would shrivel and die. Though, honestly, it's already halfway there. How is Raiden able to handle this so much better than him anyway?

Wait! Get information on Raiden? Ichika could only be stunned for a bit to hear such a request. Why would Houki even be interested in Raiden anyway? What's gotten into her about him?

"Starting tomorrow, I want you to be waiting for me after school, okay?"

"Okay."

Since there are no clubs Ichika can join (they're all girls' clubs), this is perfect. Ichika can't stand smearing Chifuyu's reputation like that anyway. No matter what, Ichika has to get stronger.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the arena, Raiden landed safely in his IS back onto the ground after completing an aerial drop from 500 feet. As he landed his IS, Chifuyu called out to him.

"I saw you weeks ago dragging out that motorbike. Where were you going exactly?"

Raiden only stared back and asked "What concern is it for you?"

"It's all a concern to me." Chifuyu immediately answered. "No need to give me the cold shoulder."

Raiden merely sighed and explained "I was given an assignment by my boss. She called me on my phone and I had to answer it."

"While on a school day? You should know better than to just leave school just because you have an assignment by your superiors."

"Didn't you check my profile? I work for the CIA here in Japan, in a joint formation with Japan's national intelligence agency."

"That still doesn't mean you can just simply leave casually. At least give me a note or something to know if you are gone or not."

"Even if I did, you wouldn't find it exactly pleasant." Raiden could only answer in a casual remark. Chifuyu sighed though and replied,

"Just…at least let me know, okay?"

"Alright."

Raiden deactivated his IS and began to walk back to the hangar before being stopped by Chifuyu who put her right hand on his shoulder.

"Before you leave, can you just answer something for me?"

Raiden turned around and said "As long as it doesn't concern my past…"

"Funny. That was exactly what I was going to ask of you."

Raiden merely gave a sigh and asked "What do you wish to know?"

Chifuyu then placed her other hand on Raiden's other shoulder and asked in a somewhat passionate voice. "Where were you? Where have you been after you left the orphanage?"

Raiden merely answered "Two years with Phantom Task, six years of being under the radar, and everywhere else you can imagine."

Chifuyu was left shocked. In a brief moment, her grip on Raiden loosened before they gripped him harder. Her shocked expression soon turned to one of sorrow as she lowered her head somewhat.

"Eight years of being gone…I should never have left you at the orphanage."

"You had no choice." said an impassive Raiden. "Ichika was your priority, not me."

"What happened to you during those eight years?" asked Chifuyu.

"Too much." Raiden said with a tinge of anger.

"Why didn't you contact me?!" demanded Chifuyu in a somewhat angry voice.

"Why did you wait?!" retorted Raiden in anger. "Why did you have to suffer through agony knowing that you could not retrieve me either way?"

Chifuyu could only hug Raiden, to his slight surprise. However, he didn't hug back as Chifuyu tightened her grip somewhat in desperation and spoke in a sad voice.

"I made a promise to you, did I not? That I would protect you for the rest of your life after what had happened. I want to keep it."

"Why?" asked Raiden in disbelief.

"You know why." said Chifuyu as she released her hug to Raiden yet kept her hands on his shoulders. "You're smart enough to know why."

Raiden then said "If you ever did care for me, then do not rob me of my revenge for Phantom Task. It's the only thing I have left."

Chifuyu then looked at Raiden in the eye and said "Let it go, Raiden. Just let it go. I don't know what dark mind was planted within you during your time with them. But I do not want it to destroy you. I can't afford to lose someone I failed most for."

"You had no other choice." Raiden protested again. "It was either that or your career would've been lost."

"Forget that. I don't give a damn of what the politicians said back then. I was weak back then and now I want to be stronger...for you. I want to protect you where I failed to do so." She hugs Raiden once again as a few tears leak from her eyes. "So please…don't make me lonely again. I cannot bear to lose you again."

Raiden couldn't help but look at the moon that was shining down on them. The stars weren't out yet but the twilight evening had set in and the moon was somewhat shining before it would eventually give way to a full moonlight. And yet, he remained unmoved by Chifuyu's pleas as he only stared out to the moon with a face of heartlessness.

* * *

Hot water flowed from the shower head, landed on her skin and flowed down the curves of her body. Her figure was unusually well-proportioned; a fact Cecilia was really proud of. Her long legs were silky and beautiful, so much so that they could compete with a model's, if not beat them outright in a beauty contest. Though her breasts were a little smaller than other white girls her age, they served to emphasize her figure. She had conflicted feelings about her breasts: both wishing they were larger, but also pleased at how they accentuated her other curves. But then, compared to most Japanese girls, they were more than enough; they could even be called big.

Cecilia let the water cascade down her breasts as she pondered, lost in thought.

 _Today's match…_

She still didn't understand why Ichika's shield energy dropped to 0. However, if he had struck her with that last hit, she didn't know what would have happened. She went into the match so sure that she would win, and she fought her best. Yet, there was a real risk that she would have lost, and Ichika was so amazing, the bewilderment made it impossible for her to relax.

 _I definitely won..._

Winning just didn't satisfy her; on the contrary, it made her uneasy.

 _Ichika Orimura…_

The unrelenting look in his eyes haunted her. His determination contrasted with Cecilia's own father.

 _Daddy would always give in to Mommy's whims..._

Having married into a wealthy family, her dad must have felt extremely inferior to her mother. Growing up, Cecilia always thought, "I don't want to marry such a useless man."

After the IS was introduced, her dad become increasingly depressed. Her mom must have been so disappointed in him that she eventually stopped talking to him.

Her mom was always an impressive woman. Even before society became "women-strong-men-weak", her mom had managed numerous companies, and was an accomplished businesswoman. Though she was extremely strict, Cecilia had always respected her a lot.

Yes - "had". Her parents were no longer alive. They had died in an accident three years previous.

Why were her parents together on that particular day? They had been working at their separate jobs, hardly seeing each other for weeks prior. To this day, she didn't know what had brought them together on that fateful day. Though there were some conspiracy theories early on, the accident investigation concluded foul play was very unlikely. It was a cross-border railway accident with more than a hundred causalities. Just like that, her parents were torn from her, never to return. She would never see them again.

Time flew after that. Cecilia had a vast inheritance, and in order to protect the money from those who wanted to hoard, launder, or con her out of it, she threw herself into her studies. During an IS suitability test, which was part of her curriculum, she got top marks. Hoping to encourage loyalty to her country, the government made all sorts of generous concessions, and in order to protect her parents' inheritance, she agreed. Cecilia was chosen to be the first test pilot of the 3rd generation IS prototype, "Blue Tears". In order to get the best possible education and battle experience with the IS, she came to the IS Academy in Japan, and then…

…then she met Ichika Orimura. She met the ideal man, with those determined eyes.

"Ichika Orimura…"

She called out his name. Unbelievably, she felt a warmth swell in her chest.

Her heart was pounding, unbridled. Unconsciously, she reached up and gently stroked her lips. The pretty, moist lips that she was so proud of quivered with excitement, desiring to be touched: a feeling warm and sweet, saddening yet delighting.

 _What is this feeling?_

Her chest was overwhelmed with this… longing.

 _I want to know._

She wants to know what's behind this feeling – to understand its true identity.

 _I want to know. I want to know - about Ichika_.

As she finished her shower, another boy popped into her mind. That's right. The blind one.

Raiden Hataru. A boy of mystery but also of charm. The low, deep voice that catches people's ears. The ability to speak for himself. Denying his challenge with such humbleness. The smile he had when he was speaking to Chifuyu during break. It was truly something to behold of him. And yet, it felt as if it was only a mask to conceal his true self. What was the purpose of that blindfold? What secrets laid behind it?

But for him, Cecilia could see only see one thing and one thing only that made her feelings for Ichika much different than Raiden. It was not of feelings of love, but rather of something she never felt in a long time since her parents' passing.

A family. Or rather…a big brother figure. Someone she wanted as a brother to treat her as a younger sister like always: a princess of sorts. And yet for some reason, one strange thing felt clear to him.

She feels as if she has met him before...many years ago.

"Aniki…"


	4. Chapter 4: Enter Lingyin Huang

**CHAPTER 4**

Class was at the arena for some practical lessons of the IS. Everyone was lined up in alphabetical order and Raiden was in the front and middle of the entire class.

"For today, we will teach you the basics of IS flight capability and maneuverability." said Chifuyu as she approached the class. She then called out to three of the Personal IS pilots.

"Orimura. Alcott. Hataru."

Cecilia and Raiden immediately summoned there IS and were ready. Some people looked in shock and awe of Raiden's IS, including Houki, especially on the lion helmet that covered half of his face. Cecilia herself was even surprised.

For Ichika however, it took a little longer than usual to summon his IS, partly because he was amazed of Raiden's Personal IS and got distracted by it.

"You idiot. You should be able to call the IS forth without having to use voice command."

"Sorry." flinched Ichika. Chifuyu then turned to the three and said "Now fly!"

Cecilia took off first, followed by Raiden, and then by Ichika who had a little bit of trouble of taking off before he managed to catch up. Cecilia took the lead with Raiden in the middle and Ichika behind him.

"You're too slow." said Chifuyu to Ichika. "Spec-wise, Byakushiki is faster than Lion Heart and Blue Tears combined."

"But…" said Ichika. "I'm supposed to imagine a pyramid in front of me, aren't I?" Ichika then slumped a little and sighed. "I don't really get it."

"Of course you don't get it." said Raiden. "Not everyone understands it for the first time they read of it."

"Imagining is nothing more than imagining, no matter the case." said Cecilia as Ichika looked up and caught up with the other two. "It's more constructive for you to work on finding a method that works for you."

"Well said, Cecil." said Raiden, prompting to girl to be flattered by the name.

"Firstly, I don't have a good handle on flying." Ichika said. "How is this thing floating in the air to begin with?" Ichika looked at his left claw.

"Think of it as piloting an aircraft, An-chan." said Raiden. "Stick some wings and a powerful engine along with the right thrust and you got either a bird, a plane, or an IS flying in the skies."

"Hey Raiden." asked Ichika.

"What?" asked Raiden as he flew over to his side.

"Why have you been calling me An-chan lately?" asked a curious Ichika.

"You're one year younger than me. Its only proper that I call you that. Besides, adults and teenagers are just grown-up kids anyway. At least, that's what my Mentor told me."

Ichika could only be confused yet shrugged it off as dumb as he is.

"Um, if you would like, I can give you lectures after school's out." said Cecilia causing Ichika to look at her in confusion. "At that time, we can-"

"Orimura. Alcott. Hataru." called Chifuyu on the comm. "Do a dive followed by a rapid stop."

"Copy." said Raiden.

"I'll go ahead." said Cecilia as she dove to the ground before stopping completely with just inches off the ground.

"Meet you at the ground." said Raiden as he flew a little higher up before plummeting back down. Some people thought he was going a bit too fast but, with the right timing, he pulled to a complete stop.

However, Raiden was totally unaware that Ichika was coming down fast. Way too fast, as he immediately crashed into Raiden who had turn around too late to see Ichika crash into him and the two boys ended up in a crater.

Once the smoke and dust had cleared, Ichika was on top of Raiden, the two boys still in there IS, and groaning in pain. Chifuyu, Houki, and Maya arrived at the crater's edge to check on them before Houki and Maya blushed at the sight.

Raiden grabbed Ichika by the arms and pushed him off to the left. Deactivating his IS and sitting up albeit in pain to his chest, Raiden said "An-chan! Where the hell are you aiming yourself at?!"

Ichika deactivated his IS and, with a face of fear yet covering it up with closing his eyes and smile, said, "Uhh…sorry?" Raiden could only give a sigh of annoyance as he held his chest while trying to sit up.

Chifuyu yelled from above. "Orimura, were you trying to make a hole in the ground?"

Ichika couldn't find the words to respond and merely apologized "Sorry."

"Ichika, I thought I taught you better than that." said Houki. She was then pushed out of the way by a desperate Cecilia who jumped down into the crater.

"Ichika-san, are you alright?" asked Cecilia as she went over to Ichika. Ichika, startled, answered "Y-Yeah. I'm fine."

Cecilia then turned to Raiden and asked "Aniki? What about you?"

"I've had worse." said Raiden as he tried to stand up before he collapses to one knee. "Wait. Aniki?"

Cecilia then turned back to Ichika and said "I'm glad to hear you're unhurt. Oh, but you should visit the infirmary just in case. If you would like, I'll take you-"

"That isn't necessary." said Houki as she draped one of Raiden's arms over herself for him to stand up. "His IS protected him from the fall anyway."

"Oh, Shinonono-san. It's only natural to worry about others." said Cecilia.

"I can't believe that's coming from you, you thieving cat." said Houki.

"It's better than a fox wearing a demon's mask." retorted Cecilia, making the two girls stare closely at each other.

"Why can't these two get along at all?" asked Ichika to himself. Raiden could only sigh and shake his head as he watched the two girls get ready for a fight while being supported by Houki.

* * *

"Congratulations, Orimura-kun! Cheers!"

Pops from the party poppers were heard all over the mess hall as they all went off and confetti covered much of the floor. Behind Ichika was a sign that said CONGRATULATIONS in big letters. While Ichika found it flattering and nice, that was not his only concern. Because now he had to deal with a familiar blonde girl who was sitting next to him.

"Orimura-kun." called one of the classmates who was wearing glasses and had a camera. "My name is Kaoruko Mayuzumi. The Newspaper Club would like to hear of your opinion regarding the duel. Would you mind answering a few questions for us?"

Ichika stuttered "S-Sure. If you think it will help you."

"Okay, first question. What are your thoughts on being the representative of our class?"

"Well… I'll do my best."

"Huh? Oh, c'mon! Give us something awesome - like, like 'don't get too close to me, or you'll get hurt' or something like that!"

"Well uh…" Ichika drifted off and was at a loss of words. Already, too many questions roamed in his head about the current situation.

"What about having Cecilia say a few words?"

"I don't really like giving interviews, but I suppose I must." said the British girl.

Though she's grumbling, she doesn't look bothered... and she's already standing over there, ready to go!

"Ahem. First, I, Cecilia Alcott, the former class representative, will make a statement. It was…"

"Ahh, if this is going to take a while, just forget it. How about I just take a photo."

"You…you… What will you print if you don't hear my eloquent statement?"

"It's no problem; I'll just make up some content. For instance, let's assume that you like Orimura-kun."

"Wha, wha, what...?"

Cecilia's face went from normal to blushing bright red in about .001 seconds. Now she's definitely angry. Ichika better find some cover before Mount Cecilia erupts.

"What's this nonsense you're spouting?"

"Seriously! Your secret love for Orimura-kun? That would be a great scoop!"

"Well, what's wrong with just taking my statement?"

 _Um... what did I do wrong? Cecilia why are you glaring at me? Stop that! It'_ _s scary._

"Ba-Basically, you…"

"Okay okay, forget it. Both of you, please stand together! I'm going to take your picture."

"What?"

Cecilia sounded rather surprised, but she also seemed delighted.

"Yeah! Everyone's interested in your personal ISs! So, let me take a photo of both of you. Um… maybe you should shake hands or something, too!"

"Oh, is that… that so...?" For some reason, Cecilia's starting to fidget and keeps peeking at Ichika.

"Excuse me, but you'll give me a copy of the photo, right?" Cecilia asked.

"Oh, sure, I can do that."

"Then let me go change my clothes first…"

"No way, that'll take too much time! C'mon, hurry up and stand together."

Mayuzumi–senpai grabbed Cecilia's hand and pulled her next to him, and then made them hold hands. What a hard-nosed senpai.

She snapped the picture with her digital camera. Unfortunately…

"Why is everyone squeezing into MY picture!?" yelled a pouty Cecilia.

"Don't think you are getting ahead of us, Cecilia." said one girl.

"Huh? Where's Houki?" asked Ichika. "Moreover, where's Raiden?

* * *

Raiden was at the dojo meditating on his knees with a katana lying at his side and tatami mats rolled up surrounded him. As he meditated, he quietly hears footsteps approach him from behind, as if someone is watching him. The footsteps and aura were all too familiar to him as he knew who it was as she came here to train in Kendo. Houki came and saw Raiden and decided to watch while trying not to interrupt him. Too many questions about this boy were still swirling within her head about who he was really. From what she knew from Ichika during their training, it was seldom.

 _This boy...How come I am constantly watching him? Why does he interest me so much? It's like he diverts my attention away from Ichika whenever I see him._

These were good questions with a good reason indeed. Over the past few weeks, Houki had been spying more and more on Raiden. She couldn't even wonder why. Every time she saw Raiden chat away with some girls, she felt a tinge of jealously.

Jealousy? But why that? Her heart had been set to Ichika, yet every time she sees Raiden, it conflicts with her. The aura that surrounds him, the long hair that is blown into the wind, the blindfold that covers his eyes, his ability to walk and see things without being hindered, his interactions with Chifuyu. Just what was it about this boy that drew her attention to him?

It mattered little however as Houki saw Raiden stand up as he decides to take out his katana blade that he laid on the side and unsheathes it before dropping the saya. Houki saw him grip the blade tightly with two hands and with tatami rolls surrounding him, Raiden pulls the blade back before turning it and makes the cut, slicing the all tatami mats clean and scattering them all over the dojo. After contemplating, he gently sheathes his katana and merely sits back onto his knees meditating.

As Houki watches, she notices that the cuts Raiden made had emotion behind it, a dark reaction that concerned her somewhat. The destroyed tatamis, though they were sliced to perfection, were sliced in a way that left something dark in them. She picked one up near her feet and noticed that the cuts were made with a purpose, one that filled her heart with fear, if not a little bit of concern for the boy.

 _Sliced to perfection without any fault. And yet, they evoke something. Swordsmanship is the mirror that reflects one's inner self. So why do I feel only…revenge?_

"What do you want of me, Shinonono-sama?" asked Raiden. This caught Houki in a surprise as she gasped of her name being called.

"Um uh…" Houki couldn't help but stutter and step back, only for her foot to get caught on the edge of the platform. She gasped and fell back before she felt being caught. She opened her eyes and looked to see Raiden above her, catching her and holding her up.

The two stayed this way for a moment and a blush came across Houki's face. Raiden, caught wind of his situation, brought Houki back up to her own two feet, letting her go and asked,

"You alright?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine. Thank you." Said Houki. "I-I just…I was just wondering if the dojo was free for me to practice Kendo but I found you in here instead so I…"

"If you were here to practice Kendo, shouldn't you have your shinai and uniform with you?" interrupted Raiden with a question, which made Houki gawk a little.

"Oh? Well, uh, silly me. Ehheh. I'll go get it then." She then fled the dojo in a hurry, leaving Raiden only confused.

"What was that all about?"

Houki was running, yet the moment when Raiden saved her from falling couldn't escape her mind. She tried to shake it off but it just wouldn't go away, and every time she think of Ichika, only Raiden popped up.

 _Why? Why do I feel so heart-throbbing around him? What is going on with me?_

* * *

Raiden, Ichika, and Houki walked alongside each other to their classroom. Houki couldn't help but just glare from time to time at the blind boy. She is still trying to figure out how someone like him with a blindfold is able to walk or even see. Then again, as a samurai of the Bushido, there have been warriors who were blind and always trained their sense of hearing, at least in the history books or in the stories.

As the three walked to the classroom, Ichika spotted someone with a green car by the building.

"Raiden, do you know that woman out there?"

"Hi!" said the woman as she gave a wave.

Raiden gave a look for a brief moment before denying "Nope."

He continued to walk over to the stair entrance.

"Hey, Raiden!" cried the woman as she then gave a mocking kiss to the wind.

"She's calling you out, though..." said Ichika with a sheepish smile. Raiden stops walking midway and clicks his tongue.

 _That damn woman. What the hell is she thinking?_

Raiden turns to Ichika and says "An-chan, take Houki with you and go on without me. If I'm late, cover for me."

Ichika gives a perplexed look before he acknowledges "Huh? S-Sure..." Ichika and Houki walk on yet the pony-tailed girl couldn't help but feel a little ticked off about the woman. She was wondering why Raiden would be going to meet her yet pushed the thought aside and joined Ichika to their classroom.

Raiden walks out to the woman who was leaning on her green corvette. She was a typical American with blonde hair and blue eyes yet she spoke fluent Japanese. She was dressed in a formal dress for work with a white buttoned up shirt and a black jacket coupled with black heels and black miniskirt. Around her neck was a necklace with teal gemstones.

"Hey. Enjoying your student life here?" asked the woman.

"More or less." answered Raiden. "How the hell did you get here anyway? This place is prohibited to the public."

"As an agent and caretaker, I got clearance to get into this place."

 **"** Is that so? What did you come here for?"

"Cold as always, huh?" The woman gets off of her car and walks over to the blind boy. "I came to check to see how you were managing your ordinary student life at an ordinary school." She then walks a few feet back while flicking her hair to the wind.

"No problems so far. If there were a problem, it be you coming to see me like this."

"I did prepare an ironclad past for you when you entered."

"I don't want to tell too many lies though. Colors and lies both get black as you add more and more."

"Don't you mean they turn red?"

"Add enough red, it'll turn black soon enough."

 **"** All the more reason you should behave yourself properly. You don't want to suffer a 'tragic' death, don't you?"

 **"** All the more reason why I wish you wouldn't spring surprises on me like this."

"Fine, I get it." The woman sighs before walking back to her car. "I'll leave for today."

Raiden gives a confused look and asks, "Hey, what's going on? Did you really only come here to check up on me? "

"That's why I came, is it not? If it were about work, I would've called you on your phone in advance." The woman was about to get into her car before she comes to a realization of something with a gasp. "Oh, I just remembered! When you came here, you cross the prefectural border on foot, right? And after I got you a train ticket for that matter! "

"I don't like trains or cars. You know that. Plus, the Academy had a safe tram system."

 **"** What kind of an idiot walks 200 kilometers to the tram station because of that? You even wound up in police custody for it! Do you have any idea that I had to receive an earful from my superiors?" Raiden gives off that annoyed look which the woman catches. "Hey, stop staring at me like, 'This woman's a pain in the ass!'"

"How did you even know what I was thinking? Are you psychic or something?"

"You'll make me cry!"

"No, I do think that was wrong of me. Sorry, Miri."

"So long as you get it! I'll be in touch with you later, okay?" Miri gets in her car.

"Yeah." Raiden then watches Miri in her green corvette start her car and take off before turning around and driving the other way _._

 _Miriam Walker, a.k.a. Miri. CIA intelligence officer woman who's nothing more than a pain in the ass, as she herself would describe._

Raiden then looks to the classroom window where his homeroom was.

 _Now then...how do I explain this to_ _An-chan_ _and the others?_

* * *

As soon as Raiden entered the building, he was walking to his homeroom before he was confronted outside the door by Cecilia along with some of the girls.

"Hey, who was that woman out there?" She asked in a demanding voice.

Raiden looked and saw a lot of the girls with the same question. Some of them bore scowls with their hands brought up to their chests in fists, but most of them were curious. Even Houki couldn't help but glare at the blind boy outside of the classroom.

"That was my boss and my guarantor at my job." Raiden simply answered.

"Aniki? You're working? What sort of job is it?" asked a perplexed Cecilia.

"Yeah. It would be hard to explain in a few words. For now, just call it 'dirty work.' I go in and take care of the 'garbage' and crawl in a lot of places to 'clean up.'" Raiden said nonchalantly, confusing some of the girls. "That woman is part of my job, though her role is to give out orders. She doesn't like to get her hands dirty."

"So...you're not in a relationship with that woman?" asked one of the girls to which Raiden annoying answered.

"No. If anything, she's a pain in the ass." said Raiden, thinking about how annoying Miriam can be sometimes yet also recounted his days of being under her care, along with another.

"Hey did you hear?" asked one of the girls from class to her friends. "Apparently, there's been a class rep switch in Class 2."

"A transfer student? At a time like this?" asked Ichika.

"I heard she is also from China." said another girl.

"Hmph. I wonder if they are getting reinforcements to counter me." said Cecilia.

"Is she even that strong?" asked Ichika.

"Only Class 1 and Class 4 have students with personal units, so I'm sure it's nothing special." answered another girl.

"Your information is out of date." Spoke another voice from the entrance to the class. The figure was a small, female, Chinese girl with twin tail hair that was held up by two ribbons.

"The new class representative of Class 2 has a personal unit." She stated proudly. "You're not going to win the match so easily!"

Ichika stood up as he recognized a familiar face. "Rin. Is that you?"

"That's right! National representative of China, Huang Lingyin! I'm here to declare my challenge to you guys!" She then pointed her finger towards everyone as they questioned her motives and identity.

"Wh-Who is she, acting so close to Ichika-san?" asked Cecilia.

"Rin, why are you trying to act so cool? That's so not like you." said Ichika.

Rin's face immediately blushed in embarrassment and said,

"H-How dare you!"

Rin immediately got hit in the head from behind as Chifuyu walked in from behind. Holding her head in pain, she looked back and found herself to be in terror.

"What are you even doing here? Get back to your classroom. It's about to start soon."

"Chi-Chifuyu-san…"

"Call me Orimura-sensei. Now get out of here." Chifuyu walked in followed by Raiden, who paid no attention to the short girl and merely walked past her. Rin was a little bit ticked off but not because of his ignorance. She then turned back to Ichika before leaving, saying,

"I'll be back later, so don't run away, Ichika!"

* * *

During lunch break, Ichika, Rin, and Raiden were sitting at one table eating their meal with Houki and Cecilia at another table on the other side, giving off glares and angry remarks. Rin was still slightly ticked off at the sight of Raiden but she kept her thoughts about him to herself.

"I didn't expect you to come here, Rin. It's been quite a while." said Ichika.

"Well, long story short, I got tested to be an IS pilot and sent here as a representative candidate." Rin said.

"And since when did you become a representative candidate?" asked Ichika.

"That's my line. You were in the news! I heard you moved an IS by accident. What happened?"

"Well, a lot of things happened since then…A lot of things." Ichika laughed as he rubbed his head sheepishly. Raiden could only smile that. At least Ichika was being honest, but still dense on everything, not just girls.

"I never thought I'd end up enrolled at a place like this, either."

Rin then asked "Tell me everything."

Ichika began, "A high school entrance exam I took was held at a multipurpose room. Then I got lost. I asked for directions from the staff, but they didn't make sense. I kept wandering around, then…"

"And then you stumbled upon a room with an inactive IS and, curious of it, activated it with a simple touch which was then noticed by the authorities in charge, bringing you here." finished up Raiden as he took a drink of his sake, which no one knew what it was.

Ichika was slightly shocked while Rin merely gave an offensive look.

 _This guy…If he is blind, why is he even here? And what is his friendship with Ichika?!_

Ichika then sheepishly asked, "Y-Yeah. How did you know, Raiden?"

"Happened to me before." explained Raiden. "Except I was secretly taken in for a 'simple test,' which was to activate an IS upon a simple touch. Sure enough, it did."

Two pairs of hands then slammed onto the table which startled Ichika and Rin except for Raiden, who merely caught his small bottle of sake as it lost its balance on the table.

"Ichika, what is your relationship with her?!" asked Houki.

"Yes, you two seem to be getting along too well! Are you even d-d-d-dating?!" said Cecilia.

Rin panicked a little saying "N-N-No, we're nothing like…"

Ichika then explained "She's right. We're just childhood friends."

For Houki, she kept a nonchalant smile and accepted this yet underneath it, Raiden could tell that she had another person in her path for love. As for Cecilia, she went on about her usual pride speech but Rin simply ignored it, which made Cecilia pretty mad.

A huge stare arose from the three girls and Ichika could only flinch. As for Raiden, who was silent the entire time, was about to leave, he leaned towards Ichika's ear as to say something for advice to calm the storm.

"An-chan, defuse them!" whispered Raiden.

"Are you telling me to die?!" whispered a scared Ichika.

"People don't die that easily." whispered back Raiden with Ichika groaning in reluctance.

Raiden then walked out of the canteen and went straight back to his dorm room while hearing Ichika get pommeled by the girls. Some of the students decided to follow him before he opened the door to his dorm. It was then that he said to himself,

 _An-chan, from now on do not give in so easily to provocation._

As soon as Raiden closed the door and hung his jacket up, he then smelled something afoul in the air. As he approached the bedroom, he looked to see Tatenashi approach him with something in her hand.

"Ara. Came back here to take a nap all by yourself?" asked Tatenashi.

"I just need a break from the commotion." said Raiden.

"Before you do, you care to share a drink with me?" Tatenashi then holds up what appears to be a keg of sake.

To Raiden's regret, he gave a sigh. He had hidden the sake in a safe place, hoping no one looks for it when they examine the room. Little did he expect for Tatenashi to look for it.

"So you found it?" asked Raiden. Tatenashi tilts her head in a cute and playful confusion. "I'm afraid it's a little too early for that."

Tatenashi then says while tracing her fingers across Raiden, "For a 2nd male IS pilot, you sure are humble in such a large school full of girls." She then gets very close to Raiden.

"Hey!" said Raiden.

"You should be more assertive in things like this." Tatenashi suggests while tugging Raiden's left arm close to her chest which ends to between her breasts.

"You're drunk already, aren't you?" Raiden asked.

"I wouldn't really call this drunk, more like sober. Tehehe." Tatenashi said as she then pushed Raiden down onto the bed before pinning him down. Their eyes met and Tatenashi licked her lips before she nuzzled herself in Raiden's long hair.

She took a smell of it, which incited her a lot. "Ohh~! This smell. It's like..." Tatenashi takes a few more sniffs "The ocean."

"Well, I'll admit. Sometimes I need my hair to smell nice. It does get in my way on occasion."

"Perhaps we should give you a haircut then." suggested Tatenashi.

"Maybe later." shot down Raiden as the girl pouted. After smelling his hair, Tatenashi began to nip at his ear a little, earning a small grunt from him. Not wanting to be pinned down, Raiden flipped Tatenashi over, earning a Nya~ from her as he began to nuzzle her and purr. Tatenashi only purred back and nuzzle as well, feeling Raiden on top of her before flipping him back over.

To her urge, she slowly grinded on Raiden and took one last sip of the sake before she collapsed on top of him. Raiden instinctively and naturally caressed Tatenashi before she fell asleep. Looks as if the alcohol has made her too relaxed. And Raiden was pinned down hard by the blunnette cat but then again, he has been in worse positions as a child growing up. He then begins to think in deep thought as Tatenashi clings onto him as if he were a hugging pillow, which he hasn't ever experienced beforehand.

 _This girl…Cute and all, but mysterious. How can I be sure to trust her if she knows of my past? Of all my black sins that I have committed? Can someone like her who is mischievous really be trustworthy?_

 _Well, no use thinking about it now that she is my roommate. Although…_

Raiden looks down at the sleeping form of the blunnette cat and, seeing her beauty sleep, couldn't help but smile and he gently nuzzled the top of her head with his. The scent filled his lungs like that of pink roses in an aroma of feministic nature.

He couldn't help but feel attracted to her. And his blood was naturally beginning to boil somewhat.

 _I wonder what Akane would be thinking of this?_

Raiden could only accept the situation at hand before he fell asleep and Tatenashi along with him. Tatenashi could only squeeze him a bit tighter and smile as she laid her head on his heart.

* * *

Raiden called out Ichika one morning to the arena. Apparently, the blind boy requested to give Ichika some personal training to which he was given after much persuasion to Chifuyu. Some of the girls in training, including Cecilia and Houki, could only watch from the sidelines as both Ichika and Raiden stand face to face from each other on each side of the arena. Raiden and Ichika were wearing their IS suits but Raiden kept his uniform coat on.

"I'm glad I called you out here." Said Raiden. "I would've thought you forget."

"Since when do I ever?" asked Ichika. "You said you would be training me, right?"

"I did. But the training I will give will be much different than what you have been getting lately." said Raiden as he turns around. "Tell me, An-chan. Have you ever been a fast runner during your elementary school days?"

"Huh?" asked a confused Ichika. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just answer the question, fool." said a sharp Raiden which Ichika tensed up at.

"Uh…no."

"I see. Listen, An-chan. When you're a kid in your elementary days, just being a fast runner makes you popular amongst the girls. But come around middle school, you must learn how to hold your own when it comes to fights."

Suddenly, Raiden throws his trench coat into the air before turning to Ichika.

"Now then, come after me from where you are, boy! Or are you too scared to fight?"

Ichika complied and tried to charge at Raiden but with each time he charged, Raiden simply knocks him back with a punch. Once Ichika was on the ground on his side, Raiden pinned Ichika's right arm with his knee while using his left hand to hold his other arm and his right hand to hold Ichika's head.

"Listen, An-chan. You cannot tell the difference between 'strength' and 'violence' because you believe them to be the same."

"What difference is there?!" asks Ichika as he gets his right arm out of the hold and, with his Judo skills, tries to hook onto Raiden and pin him down but the blind boy holds it back.

"Used correctly…." Raiden lifts Ichika high with a grunt. "Strength becomes your ally!" With this, Raiden slam Ichika onto the ground, making him lose his grip and stunning him for a brief moment. "But used incorrectly…" Raiden pushes Ichika's legs aside and then knees him in the stomach. "Violence becomes your enemy!" Air leaves Ichika's lungs as the pain from Raiden's knee courses throughout his body.

Everyone that watched was shocked. They didn't think Raiden's training was this brutal and Ichika was merely being a punching bag. Even though it was deemed training, some of them, including Houki and Cecilia, felt that this was too extreme to watch.

"You personally decide whether it's right or wrong. Not using your strength is mighty in another way. It all comes down to intent. Don't just use strength, use your head. Use anything at your disposal!"

With that, Ichika does partial activation with his right hand and in comes swinging Yukihira Nigata 2 which Raiden nearly dodges and backs off by doing a couple backflips.

Ichika, with his IS fully activated, gets up on his feet with a smile of determination but what he doesn't realize is that Raiden had a face of disappointment and anger.

"You idiot!" yelled Raiden as he pointed his finger in irritation. "Don't you dare use your IS! That's a coward's tactic!"

"You're the one to say to use anything I could!" retorted Ichika.

"Did I ever say that would include your IS, you fool?!" With that, Raiden charges in and activates his IS fully and slams Ichika in the head with his leg which he barely blocked with his sword. The kick was so strong that Ichika was sent flying into the stands and crashed into it.

 **Later that night…**

In the infirmary, Ichika was recovering. His head was bandaged up but the injury wasn't too bad. Raiden received somewhat a hearing from Chifuyu about causing collateral damage and of nearly getting Ichika severely injured, to which the blind boy simply shrugged off.

Speaking of Raiden, he came in and, with a pile of books in hand, placed them next to Ichika's table.

"What's this?" asked Ichika.

"Listen." began Raiden. "Guys who can fight are only popular in middle school. Once you're in high school, in this case the IS Academy, brains make you popular."

Ichika sighs. "Again? Do I have to read all this? I'm not much of a book reader though."

"Just read books," said Raiden. "and try out anything that interests you. Whether it is IS related or not, the knowledge within will become your life's wisdom and the nourishment that keeps you alive. If there's any book you want to read but cannot find, tell me. I'll buy it with the money I have. Even if it is manga, that's fine. I'll buy you as much as you want. Read all you like but be sure not to just shelf them and let the dust take over."

Raiden then takes his leave as Ichika stares at the massive mountain of books. Having Raiden's words stick directly into his head, he decides to take one out and begin reading it before Rin entered to see him, hearing about the rough training.

* * *

Everyone gathered over to the holographic board to see who was pitted against who in the tournament. Raiden and Ichika arrived and when they see who will go first, they saw two names.

 _Hataru Raiden vs Lingyin Fan_

"Fan Lingyin." said Raiden before he asked "An-chan, that's your friend, Rin, right?"

Ichika nodded "Y-Yeah. I didn't think she would go up against you."

"Neither did I. I can't even believe it for myself." said Raiden sarcastically.

"You better believe it!" said a familiar voice. The boys turned around and saw Rin with her hands at her side and sporting an angry face which was mainly directed towards Ichika.

"I'm actually glad that I get to fight you. Because if there is one thing I don't like about you, it's your blindfold and what you did to Ichika a few days ago." Rin then pointed an accusing finger at Raiden.

Raiden remained silent as Ichika tried to calm Rin down but to no avail. He was about to protest but Raiden held him back with a simple wave of the arm.

"If you really think you can fight while blinded like that, then you best prove it to me! Show me what you are made of, and I'll—"

In that moment, a loud gasp was heard from everyone as Raiden, in quick flash, took out his iron fan and held it near Rin's neck. Had he gone any further, he would hit her pretty badly and possibly killed her.

The atmosphere tensed very tightly as did everyone's breaths. Some covered their eyes or their mouths in shock while others had a look of fear upon their faces, covering them in the process. Rin could not even breath and merely stood frozen at how quick Raiden was. Maybe she underestimated him a little. Then again, she is a stubborn girl who doesn't give up until the end.

Ichika stood shocked. He didn't think his only male friend would go so far as to draw a dangerous weapon and have it so close to his childhood friend's neck. Cecilia could only watch in shock and fear as the big brother figure she had idolized just turned into something she did not expect to see. Houki could only look wide eyed, for at least she now knows that it would be wise not insult someone such as Raiden. Yet she felt as if something within Raiden awoke him to the point of drawing out his iron fan. It made her curious yet also fearful.

Eventually, after a moment or two, Raiden relaxed and retracted his iron fan before putting it away until he said these words.

"Arena 6. Two hours from now." Raiden coldly said as he sheathed his iron war fan. He then turned around and before walking out, he coldly said,

"You shall have your 'challenge.'"

 **Later at the rooftop…**

"You're willing to fight her?" asked Cecilia to Raiden, whom the two were on the rooftop of the Academy. Raiden looked out to the school grounds with Cecilia behind him.

"Are you even insane?!" asked Cecilia in fear. "Why would you ever accept a challenge from a representative candidate?"

"The fault is mine." responded Raiden. "I was a coward for having to back down from your challenge. I can't make the same mistake again."

"That's not what I'm talking about. Why do you have to do it?"

"Because I cannot allow my own cowardice to take over. I will fight, even if I get severely injured or killed in the process."

"How could you say such a thing?" asked Cecilia in a small and uneasy voice. Raiden turned around and saw tears start to form from her eyes. "How could you, my big brother, ever say such words? Can you not look from the view of others and how they feel?"

"Cecil…" Cecilia hung her head low.

"I don't want anyone, not my friends, not even you, to be in danger. I don't want to lose you."

"I'm sorry. However, I do not intend to go out there only to be defeated."

"But…" Raiden walks over to Cecilia and pats her head. He then reassures,

"I'll be alright." Cecilia then looks up to her big brother figure. "As long as you are there for me, I'll emerge victorious."

Cecilia began to calm down as Raiden continued to pat her head before ruffling up a little bit of her hair, getting a slight annoyed moan in response from her to which Raiden chuckled at. Then, a question suddenly popped into his mind.

"By the way, Cecil, what's with you calling me 'Aniki'?" Cecilia regained her normal composure and asked in response,

"What's with you calling me 'Cecil'?"

Raiden simply responds "Makes it easier for me to remember you by."

Cecilia gave a "Hmph" remark before she said "Then my reason is that I care for you as a fellow student and friend, and you're older than me. I was wrong to have make judgments on you and now see you as something else after hearing of your past. Plus, having you deny my challenge showed me your humility. You care for me; I care for you. Like siblings."

"Huh." Raiden strangely agreed. He felt that there was more she was hiding yet didn't want to say. Despite the sternness in her eyes, Raiden could feel that there was more, which begged him one question.

Did he and Cecilia meet before in the past?

* * *

It was time for the match. For Raiden, this was his first match. Thank goodness all that training with Chifuyu in the after-school sessions paid off. Then again, he also trained on his own, most of the time. Usually, he would train until night before he turned in for the night, to Chifuyu's chagrin at times. Rin was already standing at the arena, waiting for her opponent. Back at the hangar, there stood Ichika, Cecilia, Houki, and Raiden, with the blind boy ready in his IS.

"Yamada-sensei." Raiden asked. "Give me the schematics for Lingyin's IS."

The image of Rin's IS popped up in front of Raiden as Yamada explained its capabilities.

"Her IS is Shenlong. Like your IS, it's a close combat type."

"Except for the fact of the two Shock Cannons mounted on each shoulder. It'll be a hassle for me to fight if she pins me down with those."

"This will be your first fight, Aniki." said a concerned Cecilia. "Are you ready for it?"

Raiden could only smile a little but it was enough to comfort Cecilia as he said, "Relax. I'll be alright. It's time I teach that twerp a lesson anyway."

Ichika said "Be careful out there, Raiden."

"No need for the reassurance." said Raiden. "I just need to keep her scimitar away from me with the gunblade and take out those cannons if possible."

 _He's already got a strategy in his head._ Houki thought to herself. _But how will he execute it?_

The doors to the arena from the hangar opened and Raiden stepped onto the platform, ready for takeoff. Raiden kneeled a little before he allowed the IS to propel him forward and make him shoot out to the arena. Once out, Rin flew up to his height.

"If you apologize now for what you almost did, I won't hurt you too badly." said Rin.

Raiden could only stay silent as Rin continued her rant. "Just so you know, the Absolute Defense System isn't perfect. With a power that overwhelms the shield, you can hurt the opponent without killing them."

"You're going to talk—or fight, Lingyin." retorted Raiden as he drew out the gunblade.

"Begin match." The announcer spoke over the mic. Rin drew out her scimitar and the two opponents charged at each other and made contact with their weapons, with sparks flying all over.


	5. Chapter 5: Lion vs Dragon

**CHAPTER 5**

Rin and Raiden clashed with their weapons until the latter pushed her back, putting them apart temporarily. Raiden then took off to the skies to which Rin followed before he came back down to attack her. Rin was able to block it before Raiden swung again at her side to which she blocked as well. The two continued to trade blows while also flying everywhere and charging at each other.

Rin then summoned another scimitar on her other hand before charging again. For Raiden, this made it all the more fun as he blocked one scimitar with his gunblade and block another with a Velvet Nightmare on his left. Raiden kicked Rin off and fired briefly at her which she backed off to dodge the shots. Hoisting it back, Raiden flew behind an unsuspecting Rin and charged at her before she caught wind and manage to block him in time.

"Not bad for a blind pilot." retorted Rin. "Perhaps you should've spent more time in the pit!"

"And perhaps you should've spent more time shutting your damn mouth!" countered Raiden. Whether that was intentional or not, it pissed Lingyin enough for her to push him off and charge at him again.

Back at the command center, everyone watched as Raiden and Rin continued their melee.

"Raiden…Rin…" said Ichika to himself as he was a bit worried for his two friends.

Cecilia was shocked at how well Raiden was performing. "No wonder he denied my challenge. He's that good, even for a first-year."

Houki could only watch at Raiden, and at Raiden only. She still knew next to nothing about the boy, but his cold acceptance of Rin's challenge made her cringe somewhat and make her wonder why he acted in that way. Her flashbacks of watching Raiden perform in the dojo began to come to her head.

 _What's going on in his head? Why have I been watching him a lot and not even asking him? The way he fights and performs in the dojo…it's almost as if…he's looking for something. But what?_

As soon as she thought of that, a small blush appeared on her face to which she caught and tried to shake it off.

Chifuyu could only watch in silence. Though she had complete faith in Raiden's abilities and performance, it was still his first IS match and although she doesn't show it, she is worried for him.

Rin decided to bring her two scimitars together to make a double-bladed weapon. She gave it a couple of swings before rotating them around her hands fast. She then charged towards Raiden to stab him which Raiden simply moved out of the way with each slash she struck. She struck again and again and Raiden just kept dodging before he went on to block.

 _He's even good at dodging. I can't even tell from his mouth whether he is enjoying this or taking it seriously._

After another dodge, Raiden charged forward and attempted to stab head on which Rin manage to block but got pushed back pretty far. Rin broke off the stance and made a 360 spin to strike Raiden which he blocked before she came underneath by swinging upwards. Raiden barely managed to dodge it as it left merely a very small minuscule scratch on the helmet.

Raiden then took off with Rin in hot pursuit in order to get away for a bit. But for the representative of China, enough was enough. She decided to take out her trump card.

"That's it!" The hovering spheres on each of her shoulders shifted to open, and a light shined from them before being released into a shot directed at Raiden. The projectiles flew fast, much faster than even Cecilia's rifle.

But Raiden, aware of those shots, pulled up just in time as the shots barely grazed him and hit the ground.

"That was just a jab." Rin said as she fully maximizes the power of her cannons to shoot at Raiden. Raiden stood his ground and dodged one shot before repelling off the other.

 _She finally pulled her trump card, huh? I need to get in fast to take out those cannons. That'll take the pressure off of me though it may piss her off for a while._

"What was that?" asked Houki.

Yamada-sensei answered "It must be a Shock Cannon. They're a weapon that compacts and pressurizes space to create the rounds which fire off as shells. They cannot be seen when fired and it seems there are no restrictions on the angle the bullet is fired."

"Just like my Blue Tears." quipped in Cecilia.

"But it looked like Raiden was well aware of it." said Ichika.

"He was." said Chifuyu. "He figured out that his hindrance will be those cannons, hence how he was able to dodge the first shot."

Raiden was on the run. At this point, he was getting pinned down by those cannons as their speed was pretty darn fast.

 _I need to get in close. She'll keep me pinned down like this for a while. I have to act fast and make a surprise._

Raiden needed time and time he found at this right opportunity. Using his full thrusters, he took off so fast that Rin was unable to track him. She looked around but saw no sign of him. Then, a figure hastily approached her from behind and she turned around too late.

Raiden charged forth with the gunblade and embedded it into her right Shock Cannon. Rin got shocked to see one of her cannons penetrated, especially since the blade penetrated the barrel of it. Raiden then flipped over, keeping the gunblade in his hand, along with Rin, before she heard a click. Raiden cocked the gunblade as the barrel turned and then he quietly said,

"Boom."

Raiden pulls the trigger and an explosion from Rin occurs, sending her back to the ground. When the dust cleared, Rin sat up and saw her shields plummet to 65%.

 _What!? Just that one attack, he managed to take out a good portion of my shields._

Rin then looked to her right and saw her Shock Cannon in shambles. Electricity sparked from the ruined cannon and she gritted in anger.

"You're going to pay for that!" said Rin as she charged again to Raiden.

"He managed to take out a cannon!?" said Cecilia in disbelief. Everyone was shocked, except for Chifuyu, who finally understood what he just did.

"He must've used the Ignition Boost." She said.

"Ignition Boost?" asked Ichika.

"I taught him that. As well as you." said Chifuyu. "It's a high velocity charge followed by a critical blow enabled by his gunblade. It increases his speed temporarily, allowing him to make the surprise attack from behind. Unfortunately, the ability can only be used once."

Back at the arena, Rin and Raiden continued their fight and backed off momentarily.

"I've just had enough of this!" said an impatient Rin.

"Then let's end it." said Raiden. The two combatants charged forward to which Raiden manage to disarm Rin of her melee weapon and ready to deliver the strike.

Just as Raiden was about to land a hit on Rin, the barrier surrounding the arena was suddenly penetrated from above and down came something that made direct contact with Raiden, bringing him to the ground along with an explosion.

Everyone at the stands wondered what had happened, thinking of it to be a misfire or an earthquake. Back at the command room, they picked up something.

"An unknown anomaly has appeared. The barrier has been penetrated!" said Yamada.

Chifuyu then picked up the mic and said "Match canceled. Level D Alert! All students, evacuate from the stands immediately!"

The doors to the stands were suddenly closed as everyone retreated back to the doors. Screams of panic were heard as the lockdown was initiated.

"Can we establish a comm link to Hataru?" asked Chifuyu.

"Setting it up now." said Yamada as the screen showed up.

"Raiden, can you hear me?" asked Chifuyu, only to hear a yell of pain in response. Chifuyu gasped at the response and once the smoke cleared, everyone saw Raiden on the screen. And it was not good.

Raiden was pinned down hard on the ground by the strange object as it slowly crushed his shoulders. It looked like a foot of something large and mechanical pinning him down. He was struggling to get the foot off of him but his shields were giving away fast.

"Fan, get that thing off of him! Now!" ordered Chifuyu before she heard,

"No! Belay that!" said Raiden. He then activated his lascannons from his wings and shot at the object at full power. The foot was relieved and Raiden used his thrusters just in time to get out before he landed awkwardly and crashed onto the floor. His left shoulder armor was almost gone and his IS was badly burnt but it at least remained functional, with only 45% of his shields.

Raiden got up and shook his head before the screen showing Rin appeared before him.

"Raiden, the match is cancelled. Our orders are to get back to the hangars immediately."

"Understood." said Raiden as he took off and reunited with Rin. Together, the two of them attempted to return to the hangar before,

"Wait!" said Chifuyu over the comm. "Our systems have been hacked and the students are still stuck in the spectating area."

"What of the teachers?" asked Raiden.

"They're trapped in storage." answered Chifuyu.

"Dammit." Raiden then turned around and said "Lingyin, provide back up for me. We need to take this thing out fast."

"Huh? Since when are you giving—" but before Rin could say anything, a purple energy beam was flying towards her. Raiden managed to grab her in time by the hand and move her out of the way before letting go.

"Keep moving. We need to look for an opening!"

The two kept dodging all the shots before they stopped and Raiden came to the ground. He then asked Rin,

"Lingyin, there's something odd about this thing."

"Huh?" asked Rin as she rallied to Raiden's position. "What do you mean?"

Raiden pointed towards the smoke from where the shots were coming from. As the smoke cleared, it showed what appears to be an IS, but for some reason, there was no human pilot.

"An IS?!" asked a shocked Rin.

"Without a human pilot. Is that even possible?" asked Raiden.

"No. IS are robots and they need a human pilot in order to be directed."

"But it's weird how it doesn't attack us when we are talking. You think its fully sentient, aware or even listening to us?"

Rin could only look on and say "Huh. Now that you mention it, it does look as if it is. But like I said, IS need human pilots to be piloted."

Raiden was thinking briefly to himself before he said "Say there is no human pilot, hypothetically speaking. If there is none, we don't need to hold back."

"Hold back?" asked Rin.

"If I can get in close enough with the gunblade, I should be able to breach into its core and take it out."

"What? That's suicide! You'll get yourself killed!"

"Wouldn't be the first time I heard those words."

Raiden then got himself ready and ordered "Lingyin, I need you to create a diversion and get its attention. Once you have it occupied, I'll get in and take it out."

"Oh…Alright! But don't blame me for getting yourself injured out there!" said Rin.

Rin fired upon the Golem IS to get its attention with her one Shock Cannon. She kept dodging the shots being fired from it and was able to deflect some with her scimitar. Raiden then charged into the IS where he attempted to swing his gunblade at the IS but only made a small mark. He had to back off before getting punched at from the Golem.

As soon as he backed off, he pulled the trigger of the gunblade and a small explosion blew a chunk of the IS off and landed near his feet.

"Hey it worked!" said Rin.

"It's not enough though. I need to really get in there. But it's too damn self-aware." said Raiden.

"Got a better idea?" asked Rin.

"No. Stick to the plan. Just get me that opening."

"Raiden!"

Raiden heard a voice to his left and saw Houki out in the open by the edge of the hangar.

"If you truly are a man, you can defeat that thing!"

The Golem IS took notice of Houki and decided to fire a special weapon. A harpoon attached via a chain on its arm fired straight towards the barracks and was coming for her. Houki saw the harpoon come after her and could not move in shock. She thought that she could escape it but it was coming too fast. She closed her eyes and took cover with her hands until she heard the sound of flesh and metal being pierced.

Houki, after a few moments, slowly opened her eyes and saw a lion head looming over her. Stuttering in shock and in disbelief, it hunched itself over her, almost as if protecting her.

"R-Raiden?"

A small groan escaped from the lion but what shocked Houki the most was the harpoon. It had literally impaled Raiden on the left shoulder as the armor was shattered and blood poured freely down from his wound and some on his arm. A small trickle of it landed on Houki's face and the girl was totally caught unaware of it, still in shock of what she had just seen up close. Raiden grits his teeth as the pain swept over his entire body, immobilizing him as he could feel the entire harpoon through his shoulder and his blood dripping away.

In a flash, Raiden was then pulled back by the Golem via the chain on the harpoon and screamed in pain. As Raiden met with the IS, it punched him directly in the face and made him fall straight to the ground, cracking his helmet. He was stomped hard into the ground before being picked up by the IS, tossed up, and uppercut him right in the chest, cracking some of his ribs, and sending him back before being pulled back in and being brutally beaten and with his shields completely depleted, the armor of his IS slowly but evidently was being chipped, cracked, and shattered with every blow landed onto him.

Rin tried to get in to save Raiden and even attempted to cut the chain attached to him but the Golem was fully aware of her intentions and held her off with its arm cannons to which she kept dodging. She couldn't use her Shock Cannon on Chifuyu's orders as they would be too risky since she might hit Raiden. But this situation was gradually slipping form bad to disastrous as she kept watching Raiden get heavily pommeled, waiting agonizingly for the right moment to get in.

Blood spilled all over the place from Raiden as he throws up a good chunk from his mouth. Already he had cracked ribs and his skull felt like it had some deep cracks punched into it. He was punched back into an arena wall before being pulled back in. However, Raiden used this opportunity to charge his weapon with energy and use his gunblade to cut into the Golem IS and embed his weapon deep into its chest. The Golem took its one arm and grappled with Raiden's head tightly, but Raiden, fully prepared and fully aware of what he was doing, hugged the IS very close to him and said,

"Burn, you son of a…"

Raiden cocked and pulled the trigger, then a massive explosion occurred which left a small mushroom cloud. Raiden was then sent back tumbling through the dusty and bloody floor before crashing into the arena wall. When the dust cloud dissipated, Rin rallied over to Raiden's location and looked to see how heavily he was injured. What she saw shook her down to the core.

Blood freely spilled from his mouth and his head as Raiden could not move at all due to his heavy injuries. His lion helmet was broken in half as half of his face was shown bleeding from the head. His entire IS armor was shattered with only small bits of it clinging onto him. The harpoon was still embedded into his left shoulder along with the chain attached to it, but it was severely brittle due to the explosion. Tiny flames surrounded him as Raiden could feel their heat. When Raiden saw the Golem emerge form the smoke, he saw that he massively damaged it and exposed the core but could not damage its arms to his disappointment.

Raiden was ready to get pulled back and meet another punch only for the chain to be cut by another IS in white and blue.

Ichika arrived and stood ground to protect Raiden before he charged in with Reiraku Byakuya and, with Rin's help of distraction, cut the IS's arm off before being punched back near towards Raiden. Ichika saw the IS stand in front of him ready to fire before Raiden used his free uninjured right arm to fire one of his Velvet Nightmares at the Golem to distract it.

The Golem IS was ready to shoot at him before it was fired from behind. Everyone looked and saw Cecilia in her IS on the balcony.

"Get away from my brother!" screamed Cecilia as she fired three shots which then penetrated through the IS, making it fall back to the ground and going offline permanently.

It was over. At long last.

Ichika gave a smile before he saw Rin and Cecilia get to Raiden. He suddenly remembered Raiden and of the heavy injuries he sustained. He saw the girls take the damaged IS and the heavy rocks off of a bloody and injured Raiden.

"Hey. Are you alright?" asked Ichika in desperation as he arrived.

Raiden made no response to this and, using his free right arm, tried desperately to pull the harpoon out of him.

"Don't. Don't pull it out. You'll only make it worse." pleaded Cecilia. Raiden completely ignored Cecilia and continued his pull until a massive sound, like the tearing of flesh, broke through everyone's ears.

Raiden, using the last of his strength pulled the bloody harpoon out of his shoulder, albeit screaming in pain. He then tossed the harpoon out of the way before clutching onto his profusely bleeding shoulder and falling back into the crashed wall. However, that was the least of his concerns as his breathing became fast and erratic as well as spewing out a few more liters of blood.

"Hey, hey. Stay with us, Raiden. Stay with us!" cried Ichika.

"Aniki. Aniki!" cried Cecilia as she tried to clutch her big brother figure's face.

"Where's the medic?!" cried Rin. Raiden's vision soon went black as soon as the medics arrived and put him on the stretcher before being carried out. Houki, from the hangar, could only watch and had tears begin to form in great worry for the blind boy. She then looked down near her feet and saw a small pool of blood that had poured from Raiden's shoulder before she felt a few drops on her face. She went to wipe it with her fingers, only to see it clearly in front of her, making her fear intensify. She quickly left the hangar in desperation to get to the infirmary and see the injured blind boy.

* * *

The sun had set that day as Rin watched from the side her opponent wrapped in bandages, the most notable is his shoulder wrapped in a sling. She was about ready to take a nap before she heard a grunt from the bed.

Raiden had woken up and tried to sit up but Rin stopped him when he was just barely up. Even then, Raiden yelled in pain because of his major shoulder injury.

"Don't move just yet. Your injuries are not healed."

Raiden could barely breath and make the image before it became clear to him.

"Rin?" asked Raiden.

"It's me. I came to check on you." said Rin as she helped the blind boy fall back slowly onto the bed.

"How bad were my injuries?" asked Raiden.

Rin could only flinch slightly because the sight of his bloody body still haunted her mind. "They…They were pretty bad. A few cracked ribs, an impaled shoulder, a cracked skull, and a few singes. Not to mention you lost almost 4 pints of blood."

Raiden made no comment and merely looked outside to see the sundown. He had been through much worse things in his life but the pain of injury is still something he can very much feel.

"Hey…" said Rin as Raiden turned his head, with the Chinese girl giving a somber look. "I…I'm sorry for what I said to you. I was wrong. You truly are a pilot of an IS and it was wrong of me to insult you."

"I guess I'm sorry as well." responded Raiden, which made Rin give a surprise look. "I want to start over…with you. We are both at fault for exchanging insults to each other. I don't want that to happen ever again. What about you?"

Raiden gave a reassuring smile and said "Sure." Raiden then extended a fist bump over to Rin to which she happily replied back softly.

The two sat in mere silence before Raiden said "You know, if you wanted to know why I was blind, you could've asked."

Rin said back "I know. But I just thought you were showing it just to try to be cool and all. I didn't think you were actually blind."

Raiden couldn't help but chuckle a little and said, "No comment."

"So what are you then? Why are you even here?"

Raiden, not willing to tell his story yet, merely said back "I'm just a kid with issues."

The two stayed silent for a while and looked out to the orange sky for a while before Raiden quipped in "You know, Ichika has told me that you are another childhood friend of his."

"Eh?" said a confused Rin.

"I wish you luck in getting his attention. Because you are not the only one who wants him." advised Raiden who was thinking of Cecilia.

Speaking of Cecilia, the door to the infirmary opened and Cecilia came in and saw Raiden and Rin. She rushed over to Raiden's left side and asked with tears forming from her eyes in worry.

"Aniki! Are you okay?"

"Don't worry." said Raiden with a reassuring smile. "I'm alright." He then patted Cecilia's head gently to her relief.

"Aniki?" asked Rin in surprise.

"Don't ask, Rin." said Raiden.

Houki then came over with a face of concern followed by Ichika. She then said "Raiden…"

"Houki. Are you alright? You weren't injured, were you?" asked Raiden.

Houki gave a surprise look before she turned away with a blush and stumbling said "Y-Yeah. I-I'm alright."

"Hey, Houki. Why are you acting weird around Raiden?" asked a confused Ichika. Houki could only give a shocked look and stubbornly said "I-I'm not acting weird. It-It must be your imagination!"

Raiden could only give a chuckle before the door to the infirmary swung open. "Everyone out! I need to speak to Raiden."

Chifuyu entered and ordered everyone out. She then took a chair and sat next to Raiden's left side.

"How are you feeling?" asked Chifuyu.

"I'll live. I think." said Raiden.

"You took a great risk on protecting Houki. And in the process, you were beaten pretty brutally." said Chifuyu.

"And?" asked Raiden.

Chifuyu sighed and asked, "Do you have any idea how many years I have thought of you?"

"Let me guess: eight?" asked Raiden mockingly.

"Eight years and you start to do things recklessly which end up with you like this. I should've started looking for you when you were taken."

"There was nothing you could have done, Chifuyu. You had a little brother to take care of than a blind kid at an orphanage."

Chifuyu then took his right cheek with her left hand and turned his head to face him directly. Raiden then saw tears start to form the corner of her eyes and was desperately trying to fight them off. She then said,

"You are as precious to me as you were to your own mother and father. I swore to myself that I would protect you, but for the last eight years, I haven't. I want to change that."

Raiden gave a surprised look. "Chifuyu…"

Chifuyu then gave a gentle hug to Raiden with great affection and proclaimed "You're not just a boy that I rescued. You are my little brother. And a sister cares for her kin, even if that kin is not of her blood."

Raiden was at a loss for words for what Chifuyu said. She had just told him that he was a little brother to her. And yet, she already had Ichika. So why have another one? Then again, it was probably wise not to talk about it.

Raiden decided to hug back and Chifuyu gave Raiden a kiss on the forehead before letting her forehead touch with his. The two could only smile at this new bond of surrogate brother and sister.

"Hey…" said Raiden which caught Chifuyu's attention. "I have some sake in my room in a secret safe. Once I get out of here, let's make up the time we lost as family."

"I'll be looking forward to it." Chifuyu then stood up. "You'll be in here for at least another couple weeks. And your IS will undergo some serious repairs, along with some modifications to improve the armor. Until then, you cannot pilot. But don't think that means you are not getting extra schoolwork and extra practice in our after sessions."

Raiden could only smile and said "I'm counting on it."

Chifuyu then left the room as Raiden relaxed back and heard the door close. It was quiet inside as Raiden was left all alone with just the sunset rays shining into the room, illuminating an orangeish color. Raiden then reached into his right pocket with his right hand that was still functional and pulled out a silver locket with a lion's head engraved into the front of it. Opening it up as it played a nice tune, the locket showed the time of today, which was about 4:30 in the afternoon, and on the other end a picture of a woman with blue hair with a smile of comfort. Raiden couldn't help but stare and give a small smile, the anxiety in his heart melted every time he saw this picture.

Closing the locket and storing it in his pocket, Raiden was about to fall asleep until he heard the door open again to his annoyance.

 _Oh what now?_

He then turned to see a familiar blunette girl in a very revealing nurse's outfit.

"Hey. What do you think?" asked Tatenashi with a sway of her hips.

Raiden was silent for a bit until he said "I'm not going out with you in that outfit."

Tatenashi pouted before she approached Raiden's right side and laying down next to him and said "Now then, how about I get to know my patient a little more. I'm sure I may be cutting into your brooding time."

Raiden then said,

"One. Dating within high school always leads to disaster. Two. You're the student council president and the most powerful IS pilot here at the Academy. I'm just a blind kid with issues. Lots of issues. And three, if anyone knew I had someone special, they wouldn't stop until they had gotten to me through her."

Tatenashi then took Raiden's hand before she asked "Next?"

Raiden then smiled and asked "What do you want to know about me?"

* * *

"So this thing was unmanned?" Chifuyu asked Maya as she typed on the computer. The two of them were in an underground laboratory with the dispatched Golem IS on an operating table and its parts dissected by robotic arms.

"Yes." confirmed Yamada-sensei. "And no one was able to determine who was sending the commands. Not to mention that the core of this IS was unregistered."

Chifuyu could only think to herself.

 _Someone can replicate a core. This is not good. But who could do such a thing?_


	6. Chapter 6: Boys, Meet Boy

**CHAPTER 6**

The weekend came for everyone, especially for Raiden. He needed to get away from all the commotion, since he was still recovering from his injuries inflicted by that damn Golem IS weeks ago. Although he cannot lift his left shoulder and still had bandages around his body, it didn't mean he could be severely limited in what he wants to do. At the very least, he could walk around.

What was the first lesson he learned from his Mentor? Never let anything, injury or sickness, stand in the way of what you want to do, even if others object. It was a nice lesson that was easier said than done but Raiden wanted to prove it.

With Ichika at his friend Dan Rotanda's house for a visit, Raiden decided to stay at the Academy since he found nothing better to do. As Raiden walked around the school, he noticed a music room full of instruments. Probably must've been the Music Club's room. Inside at the front and center of the room was a black baby grand piano. Raiden entered into the room and soon, flashbacks appeared.

Memories of his time with his Mentor flooded into his mind, especially when he practiced piano. He remembered his first time touching a piano he was just hitting random keys but his Mentor merely sat right next to him and, grasping his hands with hers, they began to play some nice tunes. It was a process that kept repeating every day until Raiden could play on his own and play his own songs. He was no song writer but that didn't mean he could cover songs that he really liked.

As Raiden entered the room, he sat down and, calming himself and taking a deep breath, he allowed his fingers to play the music. ( **For reference, look up Suara - Nuedori** )

魔が時(まがとき) 玉響(たまゆら)

 _Magatoki tamayura_

音無く 満ち往く月闇や浮かぶ  
 _Oto naku michiyuku tsuki yami ya ukabu_

高き空 ただ馳せらん  
 _Takaki sora tada haseran_

鵺鳥(ぬえどり) 心無き(うらなき) 子守唄  
 _Nue dori uranaki komori uta_

聞こえくる聞こえくる 唄は  
 _Kikoe kuru kikoe kuru uta wa_

狂おしいほど 君を映し描きて  
 _Kuruoshii hodo kimi wo utsushi egakite_

淋しくて淋しくて 眠る  
 _Samishikute samishikute nemuru_

逢えぬ運命(さだめ)なれど 想い満ちては  
 _Aenu sadame nare do omoi michite wa_

いつかまた逢えると信じて  
 _Itsuka mata aeru to shinjite_

宵闇 時過ぎ  
 _Yoiyami toki sugi_

秘かに 欠け往く月細く堕ちる  
 _Hisoka ni kake yuku tsuki hosoku ochiru_

遠き山 ただ馳せらん  
 _Tooki yama tada haseran_

鵺鳥(ぬえどり) 心無き(うらなき) 子守唄  
 _Nue dori uranaki komori uta_

聞こえくる聞こえくる 唄は  
 _Kikoe kuru kikoe kuru uta wa_

いと惜しいほど 君を映し描きて  
 _Ito oshii hodo kimi wo utsushi egakite_

淋しくて淋しくて 眠る  
 _Samishikute samishikute nemuru_

望み叶わぬもの 想い欠けても  
 _Nozomi kanawanu mono omoi kakete mo_

いつの世か叶うと信じて  
 _Itsu no yo ka kanau to shinjite_

欠け往きて 微かなる望みは  
 _Kake yukite kasuka naru nozomi wa_

また満ちて 朽ち果てることないこの想い  
 _Mata michite kuchihateru koto nai kono omoi_

流れくる流れくる 唄は  
 _Nagare kuru nagare kuru uta wa_

恋焦がれて 君を映し描きて  
 _Koikogarete kimi wo utsushi egakite_

繰り返す繰り返す 運命(さだめ)  
 _Kurikaesu kurikaesu sadame_

月を仰ぎ見ては 君を想いて  
 _Tsuki wo aogimite wa kimi wo omoite_

鵺鳥心無きて 唄へよ  
 _Nue dori kokoronakite uta he yo_

As soon as Raiden stopped and let himself a breather, he heard some footsteps come into the room. He turned around and merely smiled and saw Chifuyu.

"Since when did you learn to play piano?" she asked.

"Six years with my Mentor in the mountains, you learn a thing or two." said Raiden.

"It's a nice song. Think you can play another one?" asked Chifuyu.

Raiden merely smirked and asked "Maybe I should teach you?"

"Ha! As if." Chifuyu chuckled as she pulled up a chair next to the piano. "Play one of your favorites. I want to hear it. And you're singing it."

Raiden could only smile and say "With pleasure." Raiden then played a song that drew a lot of attention from the girls who stayed at the Academy and spied on them from outside and listened to the song, many of which felt a joyous flutter in their hearts while others shed happy tears.

* * *

Houki was furious. Not only was she informed that she was switching rooms but that Ichika, as dense as he is, was okay with it. It probably wasn't intentional but the boy's head was much denser and thicker than perhaps the strongest metals on Earth. As soon as she packed her belongings and left her previous room, doubt and fear took over.

 _Will…Will Ichika only see me as a childhood friend? But…But that can't be. Is he just going to not care of how I feel of him?_

As these thoughts swirled around her mind, they then portrayed an image of Raiden. Houki suddenly remembered that day, when Raiden had become a shield for her against the Golem IS. She hadn't thanked him properly yet and decided to go search for him.

She looked everywhere around the Academy and had to run a lot considering that it was raining and raining hard it was, almost as if a rainstorm had come over to the Academy. She checked the roof, the classroom, the dorms, but he was nowhere to be found. However, there was one location that Houki did not check yet.

The dojo.

When Houki arrived at the dojo, she found no one inside but she heard a noise from behind the dojo in the back. She heard something swinging before she heard a crash. She rushed over to the back through the dojo and what she saw made her freeze for a bit.

Raiden was on the ground clutching his left shoulder in agony. He then let out a loud roar of defiance to the injury and scream of pain. He then took his iron fan and threw it recklessly at a tree which chipped off a part of its trunk and landed near Houki's feet. Houki's mouth was a bit open in shock as she slowly picked up the cold, wet, and heavy iron fan. What Houki saw next was something unexpected however, as Raiden soon began to shake and, to Houki's shock, shed tears which fell to the ground from his eyes. But how can tears fall through a blindfold?

Houki could only watch the blind boy continue to shed his tears. Finally, enough was enough, and she approached the blind boy. Raiden looked up to see Houki in great concern, with her own tears starting to form.

"Houki?" asked a shaken Raiden.

Houki wrapped Raiden's free arm her neck around and brought him inside the dojo. She set him down on the bench before she left to go get some towels.

As soon as she arrived, she handed Raiden a towel but he did not even bother to wrap it around himself. His right fist clenched in anger before Houki gently grabbed a hold of it. Raiden was surprised and looked to see a very worried Houki.

"Are you alright?" asked Houki.

Raiden could make no response and merely looked back down to the ground. Houki had asked again,

"Raiden, what's wrong?"

Raiden, silent for a bit, said "Houki…I-" Raiden then gave a sad sigh. "Why did this happen to me? Why did I lose everything?"

"Lose what? Tell me. I'm willing to listen why you are like this."

Raiden looked up with fear and asked "Are you sure you are willing to listen?"

Houki could only nod but Raiden asked again for confirmation "And you won't have any problem with it?"

Houki said passionately "I just want to help you. I want to know why you are like this, and I won't take no for an answer."

Raiden then gave a sigh and said "Alright."

"It began eight years ago…"

Flashbacks of Raiden's life entered into his mind.

"I was living a happy life as an eight-year old boy. Both my mother and my father were involved with the Infinite Stratos; my mother was a test pilot and my father was a top scientist. We had a healthy life and even though they were busy, it didn't mean I could not spend time with them whenever they were available. I was very close to both of them and loved them dearly. We thought our lives would be normal, until that day…."

Raiden soon began to shake and tears began to form again. Houki gave a hug of comfort as Raiden continued to share his story.

"Until that day…when they were killed. By an IS pilot." Raiden's breathing began to get erratic as he clung to Houki as she tried to comfort her. Houki didn't care that his tears were falling and ruining her school uniform.

"I was 8!" Raiden said in anger and sorrow. "I was 8 when they were taken away. I saw their bodies, their blood, and our burning home. It was the last thing I saw before my sight was taken. The pilot…sliced out my eyes." Houki could only gasp as she now knew why he was blind when she first saw him.

"I would've died had it not been for someone to come to my saving. I can't say who she is yet because after my rescue, I was given into an orphanage and for a month, I was hated. Bullied. All because of my blindness!" Raiden could only grip onto Houki's uniform as he continued to shed tears. Houki's tears began to pour down upon her. "I…I even assaulted those who insulted me, killed one to death. From then on, I was lonely, all the other kids stayed away from me as I was confined in a dark room. I barely ate, barely slept, barely drank, barely spoke. I wasn't even loved!"

Unknown to the two, watching them was Chifuyu, who was leaning on a wall behind the two and listened to the story. She had her own tears pouring from her face before she left as she could not take any more of the pain she felt.

"One day, I was then taken in by my Mentor. She and a friend of hers found me one day and took me in as she couldn't stand idly by a helpless child. She was a CIA agent and a former member of the Marines. She and her friend took me in as my guardians and we lived away from the world, in the mountains." Raiden began to relax as images of his time growing up with his Mentor came to him.

"She did more than raise me. She took care of me, she fed me, trained me, and taught me things about the world that one would not normally know of. She was strict and harsh but cared for me greatly. She even sent me to the Marines for training on her authorization, even going on a couple of tours. A few months before the first day of the IS Academy, she passed away due to a heart failure." Raiden then gave a somber look as his tears began to dry up. "I was there by her bedside and I knew it was time for her to go. I didn't want her to but I knew her time was up. She was later cremated and buried near the house, and now my current guardian is her friend. If she were still alive, I think you would've liked her. But now you know what I am, who I am…a broken, blind kid with issues."

Houki continued to hold him in comfort and in support. Now she knew why he was what he was. "So…why are you here?" asked Houki.

Raiden answered, "Aside from the fact that I'm the 2nd male to pilot the IS. I'm only here for one thing...vengeance. And I would go to any lengths to find the one responsible for this."

Houki understood this and acknowledged it. Vengeance is a strong motivation and for a samurai such as her, vengeance is a strong motivator. But vengeance can also welcome mistakes if one is not careful with it.

"Today is but another anniversary." said Raiden as he interrupted Houki's thoughts. "When I lost everything. That's why you see me as I am now."

Houki finally came full circle with everything she just processed. Eight years is sure a long time for vengeance, especially if it involves parents.

After about an hour of comfort, Raiden began to relax as Houki continued to hold onto him, stroking his back and allowing his head to rest on her lap. For Houki though, she felt a certain…affection for the boy. Here was a strong and protective student who had just shared his past and was now reduced to nothing but a broken crybaby. And yet, for him to protect her that day, she felt that deep within her heart...she wanted to do more than thank him.

Raiden continued to rest on Houki's lap as she gently stroked his hair before he started to fall asleep. However, he was stopped from doing so as she said,

"Come on. We should get ourselves cleaned up. The rain has stopped."

When Raiden looked out, he saw that the rain did indeed stop and the sun was shining through the clouds. He decided to get up and dry himself off with a towel in the shared shower room. What Raiden did not know was that the sling had now become wet so he had to put on a new one. However, that was easier said than done.

"Houki." called Raiden as she looked to see Raiden. "This is going to be embarrassing to ask and I take no pleasure from this. But…can you help me take my shirt off and put on this new sling?"

Houki briefly paused for a moment, until a blush appeared on her face. Some strange thoughts appeared on her mind and she was going to see Raiden's body for the first time. Initially, one would not think to help a boy in something such as taking off a shirt but for this case, it was a must for the new sling.

"Houki. Houki!" Raiden called out again until she snapped out of it but still had a blush on her face.

"S-Sure. J-J-Just come over here and I'll help you out." Raiden came over and Houki began to undo the sling. Although Raiden felt pain from the shoulder and winced and grunted a bit loudly, he had to push through it.

Houki was not having it any easier though. After she removed the sling, now came the wet shirt. Slowly but surely, she managed to pull it off and saw Raiden's scarred muscular body, especially the six-pack that he had along with a perfect V-muscle forming at the bottom. She was slightly shocked at all the number of scars and bruises that Raiden carries, and a part of her was curious as to how he obtained them. Houki's face grew into an immense red, like the color of a rose. She nearly lost herself to her own delusions before she remembered to put on the new and dry shirt for Raiden before putting on the sling. She stumbled a bit as she had never put on a sling before but carefully followed Raiden's instructions. Houki could only listen to her thoughts within herself.

 _This body…It's so…strong. Wait! Why am I thinking of this? The only one I like is…is…_

She looked briefly up and saw the stern and unemotional look of Raiden. To her, he looked cool, especially with the blindfold. But not all appearances are as they seem. Admitting to her heart's content of who she liked more, she felt a strange wave pass through her gently yet swiftly, as if she was not stuck on the path she put herself in. Thus, she continued to put on Raiden's new shirt and new sling but not before looking one last time at his muscular body along with the scars.

After that was taken care of, Raiden walked back to the dorm alongside Houki. Thank goodness no one was outside, otherwise too many gossip rumors would be spread about. Houki began to feel her heart flutter more and more and felt herself grow more and more detach from Ichika with every step she walked alongside Raiden. Flashbacks of her times watching Raiden in secret probed into her mind.

 _Why does my heart beat so fast when I am walking with him? I have watched him a lot. I thought he was just another kid. But now…why do I feel so…close…to him? It's much different than with Ichika, so much that my heart flutters every time I see Raiden._

A flashback of him protecting her from the IS Golem appeared rapidly in her mind.

 _Could I be...in love with him? All because of what he did to protect me, and even share his past with me?_

When the two got to Raiden's door on the second floor, they stood outside before Raiden unlocked the door and opened it before he turned to Houki, who still had a blush on her cheeks.

"Houki…" called Raiden which got the girl's attention. He then gave a smile of gratitude and said "Thank you…for helping me."

Raiden was about to enter the room until,

"Raiden, wait."

Raiden heard Houki's voice call out to him and, surprisingly, grappled the cuff of his jacket. Embarrassingly she said,

"If…If I win the tournament next month, th…then…then you NEED TO DATE ME!"

Immediately Houki had left and Raiden was standing there confused. Yet for some reason, he could not help but chuckle and smile at that response. Unaware to them however was that gossips are now going to be spread about all over the school.

* * *

"Hey, did you hear the rumor?"

"What? Regarding the IS from that day?"

"That one was an out-of-control experimental unit."

"Not that. Apparently, if you win this month's single matches, you can have a date with Orimura-kun or Hataru-sama."

"Really? Are you serious?"

"I can't believe that's coming true."

Houki and Cecilia were just socializing but they noticed the excitement amongst the classes.

"What is everyone talking about?"

"I'm not so sure either."

The three gossipers from last night, Honne Nohotoke included, stood there with a perplexed look on their face.

"Looks like the story was spread incorrectly."

Two of them looked over to Honne and asked worriedly,

"You didn't make things up again, didn't you?"

Honne could only rub her head sheepishly. "Uhh…I don't think so?"

"Good morning." Ichika said as he entered the door alongside Raiden.

"Huh. I wonder what they're all excited about." wondered Raiden loudly.

"Nothing!" said the whole class. It only left the two boys a bit confused once they got to their seats.

"Take your seats. We're starting homeroom." said Chifuyu as she entered into the door.

"We have a transfer student today." Yamada-sensei announced. The door to the class opened and everyone looked to see a young man of blonde hair and purple eyes. He looked charming and pretty to the naked eye as all of the girls suddenly and silently gawked.

As soon as the boy got up front, it looked as if sparkles and shine radiated from the boy. "I'm Charles Dunois. I'm from France. Nice to meet you all."

"A boy?" asked one girl.

"Yes. I heard there are two boys in a similar situation as me, so I decided to transfer."

Raiden looked intently at the boy, keeping his thoughts to himself as he quietly observed.

 _You're obviously hiding something…but what?_

The whole class erupted, much to the surprise of Charles.

"A boy! A third boy!"

"He's in our class, too!"

"A cute boy! The type you want to protect, too!"

"Quite down, all of you!" spoke Chifuyu as everyone complied to command. Shen then continued, "We will be having a joint practical training with Class 2 in the arena. Orimura. Hataru."

Both the boys' attention was met to Chifuyu's call.

"You will be looking after Dunois. Dismissed!"

Charles walked up to the two boys in front of him and said "You're the two male IS pilots? Nice to meet you. I'm—"

"An-chan, we need to get moving." advised Raiden.

"Right." acknowledged the blunnette boy. "Save introductions for later, Charles. We need to get moving now. The girls will start changing soon."

"Not to mention we'll be late soon. Come on." Raiden grabbed Charles hand while Ichika led the way over to the locker room. Charles could only gasp in surprise, if not blush a little. As soon as they left, the girls could only look at how cute that was.

"We need to change at the arena locker room. We have to do this every time there is a practical, so get used to it fast." said Ichika.

"O-Okay." said Charles.

Raiden noticed Charles fidgeting a little and asked in concern, "Why are you fidgeting? Need to use the restroom?"

"N-No." said Charles.

The trio could only be stopped by a group of girls who saw spotted them in the hallway. This was going to get ugly fast.

"There's the transfer student!"

"He's with Orimura-kun, too! And Hataru-sama!"

"Wh-What's going on?" asked Charles.

"Oh crap." said Raiden as he looked behind.

"There he is. Everyone gather up!" They did as comply which made Raiden instinctively put his hand in his coat in case he needs to take out his iron war fan for defense. Of course, he wasn't going to hurt any of the girls with the dangerous weapon but instinctively held it up just in case.

"Look, Hataru-sama and the transfer student are holding hands."

"Orimura-kun's blue hair is nice, Hataru-sama's silver hair is magnificent, but blonde hair is fantastic."

"Let's go. This way." said Ichika as he guided the two boys when they made a sharp right turn.

"They're getting away. We need to chase them."

"Wait! At least let me get a photo of you three!" said Kaoruko Mayuzumi of the Newspaper Club as she appeared with a camera. But the three boys kept on running at full speed over to the locker room, much to the disappointment of the crowd.

"Why is everyone making such a big fuss about us?" asked Charles.

"We're the only ones to pilot an IS." said Raiden.

"Oh, right." said Charles.

"Just keep running." said Ichika.

* * *

By the time the three boys made it to the locker room, they were panting so much. Well, Raiden only panted a little considering that he is a runner of both mornings and afternoons.

"Looks like we managed to lose them." said Ichika.

"For now." said Raiden.

"I'm sorry for troubling you all on the first day." said an apologetic Charles.

"Don't worry about it." said Ichika. "In fact, it's good that you're here. Being the only two guys in this school is tough."

 _Only for you, you idiot._ thought Raiden as he opened his locker.

"Is that so?" asked Charles.

"I hope we get along." said Ichika with a nonchalant smile. "My name's Orimura Ichika. Just call me by my first name.

"Raiden. Raiden Hataru. Call me by my first name as well." said Raiden as he took off his shirt. Charles stuttered a little at that name and became a bit shocked for a moment before he brushed it off.

"Y-Yeah." said Charles. "Nice to meet you two. You can call me Charles, too."

"Not to make you panic but we're running out of time. We'll be late." advised Raiden which made Ichika panic and change quickly. But Charles only turned around and held her head to her face in embarrassment. That made Raiden poke his head out of his locker and he could definitely tell that something was not right.

"You'll be late if you don't change fast. Our homeroom teacher is strict on time."

"O-Okay. I'll get changed." said Charles. "But…could you two look away?"

"Well, I don't have a hobby of staring at others as they get changed." said Ichika. Raiden could sense that Charles was getting more nervous and said,

"An-chan, the young boy is probably nervous about changing. Just give him some room to breathe, okay?"

Ichika complied yet he heard Charles put on the IS suit and saw that he was already changed fast. Both the boys looked surprised.

"You changed fast. You have a trick for that or something?" asked Ichika.

Charles waved in denial "N-no. Not really." He tried to laugh it off but it really wasn't working.

"It's hard to wear this since your naked underneath. You can get caught." said Ichika.

"It's not all that bad. I've worn stiffer uniforms than this." said Raiden.

"Oh yeah? What could be stiffer, Raiden?"

"US Marine military uniforms. Tight as hell. You need everything perfect and not have a speck of dust on it."

Charles could only blush at Ichika's first comment as the boy looked on with an oblivious look. Then he took a notice at the special suit Charles was wearing.

"That suit looks unique."

"It's an original model made by Dunois Corporations." said Charles.

"Dunois Corporations?" asked Raiden. "A family business of sorts?"

"My father is the CEO." explained Charles. "It's the largest IS-related company in France."

"Huh. The CEO'S son. No wonder." said Ichika.

"No wonder what?" asked Charles.

"It's how you hold yourself. Like this aura showing your good upbringing. It makes sense now."

Charles could only look slightly down. The boys caught onto this but Ichika gave a perplexed look while Raiden thought of it to be serious.

 _Dunois? Why does it sound so familiar? Moreover, I have seen that person before, but when?_

* * *

"First, we'll be watching a practical battle that involves close range and shooting."

As it's a combined practical between class 1 and class 2, there's double the number of people as per usual, and even the replies sound a lot louder.

"Today, I would like to let everyone see a real battle, and there just so happen to be lively girls here present-Huang! Alcott!"

"Wh-Why me too?"

While the class backed away, Chifuyu will make up some random sense to deal with them, and that's even more irritating. But then again, Chifuyu mostly uses physical attacks.

"Since you two have personal suits, you can start battle immediately. Get out here."

"Why me..." groaned Cecilia.

"It's definitely Ichika's fault, so why..." complained Rin.

"You two better buck up-and show that guy what you two are made of!"

Seems Chifuyu whispered something to them, which sky rocketed their motivation and pride.

"This is the stage for me, the representative candidate for England, Cecilia Alcott!"

"That's right. It's a great chance to show everyone the difference in ability as a personal IS pilot!"

"Then who's my opponent? I'm alright even if it's against Rin-san."

"Fufu, that's my line. I'll slaughter you."

"No need to rush, you idiots. Your opponent will be-"

"AHHH-! PL-PLEASE GET OUT OF THE WAY~!"

Just as Ichika wanted to turn to look at the source of the voice, it was almost too late. Ichika was squashed like a bug by Yamada-sensei.

Once the smoke cleared, everyone looked to see Ichika on top of Yamada-sensei with him deployed in his IS. Raiden gave a disappointing look to Ichika and asked,

"Remind me why this always happens to you?"

Ichika then looks to see that his right hand latched on to Yamada-sensei's right breast. He unconsciously gave it a few squeezes of it, getting a moan from the teacher.

"Yes, there does appear to be a little bit of a problem here." Yamada-sensei puts her hand on her cheek. "You see if this progresses, Orimura-sensei will be my sister-in-law and…"

Ichika quickly backs off in apologies before three distinct lasers whizz past by his face. Raiden turns to see Cecilia with a smile and a cross-op vein on her head.

"What a shame. I miss…"

Ichika could then feel a dark presence lurking behind him. Rin summons up her scimitars, attaches them together, and throws it at the clueless boy.

"Ichika, you idiot!"

Ichika merely closed his eyes and covered himself with his hands before hearing some gunshots by Yamada-sensei who manage to knock out the scimitar, to the shock of the class. Even Raiden couldn't help but be impressed by that.

Chifuyu then turned to the class and continued her lecture.

"Though Yamada-sensei doesn't look like it, she was a former representative candidate, so shooting and flying like what she just did isn't much."

"Well, that was ages ago. And I never got past being a representative candidate..."

It's back to the normal Yamada-sensei presence. She turned around, stood up, placed her rifle into the weapon box on her shoulder, and then used both hands to adjust her glasses.

"So then, little girls, let's start already."

"Wha? Erm, 2 vs 1 is..." said a stuttered Cecilia.

"No, this is too..." agreed Rin.

"Relax, if it's you two, you'll definitely lose."

Maybe they felt unhappy after hearing that they would lose, as Cecilia and Rin's wills started to burn, especially Cecilia, since it's important for her to beat her opponent at least once, so her killing intent and power have risen.

"Then, let's start!"

Cecilia and Rin shouted out as they flew. Seeing this, Yamada-sensei flies up as well.

"I won't hold back!"

"I wasn't serious back then anyways!"

"H-Here I come!"

Yamada-sensei's talking as per normal, but her eyes are now as cool and sharp as they were before. Cecilia and Rin launched a preemptive attack, but Yamada-sensei easily dodged them.

"Dunois, give a commentary on the IS Yamada-sensei's using."

"O-Okay."

Charles continued to watch the battle in the sky as he explained with a reliable voice,

"The IS Yamada-sensei's using is a Raphael Revive from Dunois Enterprise. It's a machine developed at the end of the 2nd generation phase, but the specifications rival that of the early 3rd generation machines. In terms of deployed mass production IS models, it was the last to be sold, but has the 3rd largest user-base in the world. Only 7 countries are permitted to create it, and 12 countries use it as a standard IS. Most notably, because of the controls it can allow pilots to fit what they want. By changing the equipment, it can be configured for all types of combat, including close ranged combat, sniping and defending types, so there are many partnering companies working on it."

Engrossed in Charles's explanation, Ichika forgot to look at how the battle is right now. He turned back to look at the battle, and found that Yamada-sensei's shots were luring Cecilia and Rin to collide together. Yamada-sensei then launched a rocket at them, and once the explosion occurred, two figures crashed onto the ground in a puff of smoke just like that.

"Ku, uu...to think that I actually..."

"Ah, you...she predicted so much of your evasive maneuvers, it's so silly..."

"Is-Isn't it the same for you, Rin-san? We failed because you made too many meaningless mixed tactics and Impact Cannon attacks!"

"That's my line! Why did you release your BITs immediately? The power was depleted so fast!"

In the end, both of them continued to glare at each other until the girls of class one and class two started to chuckle.

"Okay now, everyone should understand the ability of the teachers now. From now onwards, please show some respect to the staff members."

Chifuyu clapped twice to divert everyone's attention.

"The ones with personal frames are Orimura, Alcott, Dunois, Hataru, and Fan. Then, we'll be dividing the class into groups of 8. Personal machine users will act as leaders, got that? Split up now."

The instant Chifuyu finished, the two classes of girls rushed over to Charles, Ichika, and Raiden.

"Orimura-kun, let's work hard together!"

"Teach me what I don't know~, Hataru-sama."

"Dunois-kun, please show me your piloting skills."

"Hey, hey, can I join in too? Let me join you too!"

The reaction's a lot stronger than what they expected, and Charles and Ichika did not know how to respond as we could only stand about. As for Raiden, well…he was a different story.

Either because she couldn't stand this situation or because she's angry that she didn't foresee this, Chifuyu pressed onto her forehead with her fingers, feeling really bothered as she bellows,

"These idiots...EVERYONE SORT OUT ACCORDING TO SEATING ARRANGEMENTS! GROUP LEADER ORDER WILL BE AS DESCRIBED. IF YOU DON'T GET SORTED INTO GROUPS FAST, YOU PEOPLE WILL CARRY IS MACHINES AND RUN AROUND THE FIELD 100 TIMES!"

The girls who were surrounding the boys like ants all moved quickly and managed to get into their groups within 2 minutes.

"I should have done this from the beginning. Really, they're a bunch of idiots."

"...That's great. I'm in the same group as Orimura-kun! I'm really grateful for my own surname..."

"...Sigh-, it's Cecilia...she just lost so badly..."

"...I'll be in your care, Rin-san. Please tell me more about Orimura-kun..."

"...Dunois-kun! You can ask me about anything you don't know! Also, I'm still single!"

On a side note, the group that isn't saying anything is the group of Raiden, who had begun to teach them as if this were a military camp. He was harsh but kind and at least he didn't go full drill instructor on them. The tense atmosphere, the presence that motivates them to work with others, the cold stare-down on the other students, and the mouth that spoke harshly but was effective in teaching.

"Then, please listen up. Each group is to take one training suit. There are 3 Uchigane and 2 Revives, so each group, please decide on the type of frame you like the most. It's first comes first served. Every leader is to assist each group member in putting on the suit. As everyone needs to use it, we removed the optimizing and personalizing modes. Anyway, before lunch today, everyone please practice on the initializing."

The girls in Raiden's group took the opportunity to surround him, eager to be taught by him. Besides, since Raiden was the group leader, he can't just treat like them dirt for 24 hours. Things have gotten a lot complicated. Once an Uchigane was required, it was on standby ready for someone to pilot it. But Raiden aligned the girls, including Houki who was in his group of all people, in rows before he began to teach.

Houki folded her arms and shut her eyes as she pretended to look calm while each girl took turns practicing their walking and flying with the Uchigane. Some of them managed to trip or fly out of control, prompting Raiden to make them do pushups. A few were still doing it and one was being told to start over again and again.

However, that was irrelevant as Houki's heart was very unstable, and what happened just now was still on her mind.

 _I forgot he grew up under someone of the American military. No wonder this is his training style._

That being said, in actuality, even if that other girl tramples down on Ichika, that wouldn't interest her. That's because Houki herself is still ambiguous about her own feelings, especially for Raiden, so even if others are to ask her 'what do you want to do then', she isn't clear about what she wants. That's how the human heart is. To be honest, thanks to kendo training, Houki's still rather confident of her own figure. Even though she feels burdened by her own breasts, it's good that they can become part of her charm. Unfortunately-

 _He didn't notice it when he was with me that day…did he?_

However, it's not that Raiden didn't notice it. Houki just felt that if he showed that he was really troubled by it, Houki would be bothered, but it didn't seem like he was bothered by her breasts, or by any girls' breasts for that matter; even if he was laying on her lap that one time. It's also a characteristic of human nature to not be so straightforward. In fact…

 _M-Maybe…he likes big breasts?_

While Houki was pondering, the practical training seemed like it was a success, and the second girl finished activating the IS and walking. Houki was up next yet as she looked at the Uchigane, she asked in slight annoyance, "How do I get up?"

"Oh, that's a common accident." Yamada-sensei said. "Hataru-kun, can you deploy your IS and help Shinonono-san mount it?"

Raiden was a little conflicted. He can't deploy his IS given his injured shoulder and even Houki gave a concern look. Then again, orders are orders, whatever they are and they must be obeyed to the letter.

"Understood." said Raiden as he activated his IS, albeit leaving the left arm empty given his arm was in a sling.

Having a shocked look, Houki wanted to back away, but she knows that she has even more reason not to panic. Maybe it's due to the pride of practicing kendo, as Houki's expression remains unchanged while she steps forward.

"Get on my left side and wrap your arms around my neck." said Raiden.

Houki could only blush but she did as command. The girls could only pout and want to have a turn but Raiden gave a stern look which made them regain their composure.

 _O-Okay...that, that's right. It's over if I drop. I have no choice but to grab onto Raiden._

After saying that in her head, Houki timidly reaches out and slings her arms around Raiden's neck on his left side. As the IS suit is a skintight design, once her fingers touch Raiden's skin, Houki's heart start to pound faster.

 _It, it's like I just touched him directly-KYA! WHAT AM I THINKING!?_

Raiden stares at Houki with an incredulous look while she continues to shake her head violently, bringing her up near to the Uchigane's cockpit. Raiden could only give a warm smile if not a bit of a chuckle. Houki, who was so happy that she wanted to laugh out, is trying her best to hold her emotions back. Perhaps it's due to that strong emotion of holding back that her face's looking twice as serious as usual.

Raiden wraps his right arm around her legs to hold her up, and it looks like it's happening in slow motion. As he ascends, Houki's heart starts to beat faster, and her body temperature begins to increase.

 _Who in the world carries someone so suddenly like that!? Is, is he trying to scare me...speaking of which, it feels like he's so well-trained..._

Being mindful, she looks up at Raiden's face, who simply keeps looking forward and makes Houki get lost in her thoughts for a bit. But at that moment, Raiden seem to notice it as he looks around.

"What's wrong?"

"No-Nothing! Nothing at all!"

As their faces are even closer than what she thought, Houki frantically looks away. What she was mindful about just now has been all forgotten. Right now, she's more bothered by Raiden. The body warmth of those strong arm muscles, and the breathing and heartbeat of hers that she worries about showing to him if they get too close-those are feelings of expectations and anxiety.

"Houki."

"Wh-What?"

"If you don't sit in onto the IS, we can't continue with the practical class. And I would have to give you some push-ups. Do you mind if I bring you closer in?"

"No, no! If you bring me closer in, even I can't remain calm-"

"What are you saying?"

"No-Nothing! An-Anyway, I'm okay!"

Like what Houki said, she pushes her hand away from Raiden and quickly sits inside the Uchigane.

"Raiden."

"Hm? What is it?"

"We-Well you see, do you have plans for lunch today?"

Though she's acting calm, her voice's obviously a bit louder than usual.

"Well, I was planning to eat with Charles and Ichika as usual. But nothing set in stone."

"Oh, really?"

Seemingly looking like she just randomly asked, Houki's expression immediately lit up, but only for a few seconds as she reverts back to her cool expression.

"If, if that's the case, how about we have lunch together once in a while? Just us."

"I would like that. Let's meet on the roof. I won't bring anything."

Houki's heart lightened up she activates the Uchigane before making it walk. This process isn't draggy, and it feels like some kendo movement. However, while Houki looks like a samurai who's trained before, she's actually overwhelmed with joy. She hid her feelings though, so of course Raiden doesn't know. However, a more accurate reason would be because she's feeling so happy that it doesn't matter even if she gives the other girls a little welfare. The question is; what other girls have Raiden's attention?

 _Ever since that day, when he saved me, I never had a chance to talk to Raiden properly. I have to do whatever it takes to thank him back!_

To be honest, she does have a secret plan.

Anyway, having gained an advantage over the other girls or so she thinks, Houki's mood is as great as ever. Or is it?

* * *

"Is it me or does this happen on a daily basis?" asked Charles.

"You have no idea." said Raiden as he took a cup of sake.

During lunchtime, the gang was assembled on the roof. Three girls stared cross-eyed with each other and electricity sparked right in the middle of their gazes.

Normally speaking, a high school's roof access will be sealed off due to many reasons, but the IS Academy has no such rules—on the garden that's decorated beautifully, as the seasonal flowers bloom, the stone cold floor makes people think that they're in Europe. As all the round tables have chairs, on a bright sunny afternoon like this, there would normally be many girls waiting around here to talk.

"Didn't I tell you that I want to come up here to eat since the weather's good? Were you lying to me?" asked a glaring Houki to Raiden.

"If you want to know why we are being 'intruded,' ask him." said Raiden as he pointed his finger to Ichika.

Houki glances aside to look at Cecilia, Rin, and Ichika.

"Since we're having lunch, the more the merrier, isn't it? Besides, Charles just transferred in, so he doesn't even know where to eat." explained Ichika, which made Raiden hung his head low.

"Idiot..." Raiden murmured to himself. Houki looks like she wants to say something as she clenches her fist. She's holding some home-made bento that's wrapped into a cloth on her lap.

As the IS Academy is a boarding school, it seems like they open the kitchen early for the students who want to prepare their own meals.

And then, Houki looks like she just made a bento today, and even had a share for Ichika! Or was it for someone else?

"Here, Ichika. This is for you."

After saying that, Rin throws the container to Ichika.

"Wow, it's sweet and sour pork!"

"Yup, I made it this morning! Didn't you say that you wanted to eat it?"

"Ahem—Ichika-san. For some reason, I woke up earlier as well, so I prepared some things as well. If you like, please try some."

Cecilia opens her basket. There's a stack of neatly arranged sandwiches. She then handed two sandwiches over to the two boys.

"Ichika, try one for me. You two, Aniki."

Ichika and Raiden both took a bite and their reactions were dramatically different. Ichika had literally froze as the taste of it was just disgusting. He was about ready to spit it out but then again, real men don't spit out their food, even if it is disgusting.

Raiden, though he had a slight bit of shock on his face, continued eating the sandwich. While he acknowledged that this was perhaps one of the worst sandwiches in the world to be tasted, he has eaten worse things before.

"Cecil, have you ever cooked before?" asked Raiden while continuing to eat the disgusting sandwich.

"Well, I followed the picture in the cook book and made it exactly as it was, with a personal touch to it." answered Cecilia.

"Define 'touch' for me." said Raiden sarcastically.

"Do you not like it, Aniki?" asked Cecilia with those cute puppy eyes which Raiden reluctantly answered with honesty.

"I can't say it's bad but I can't say it's good either. Not the worst sandwich I've ever tasted since I have eaten a lot worse. Next time, let me give you a cooking lesson or two. A good wife has got to be a good cook for her husband anyway when he comes home."

The girls instantly blushed and, though Raiden spoke a point, became a little ticked off in embarrassment. Especially for Houki.

Either way, Rin did personally prepare some Sweet & Sour Pork for Ichika, and if possible, he really doesn't want to say that it tastes bad. Besides, it is really grateful for the intention. Besides, since Ichika had to cook his own food before he entered the IS Academy, he was already grateful that someone can cook for him. Ahh, it would be great if Chifuyu had the same thoughts. Then again, he has heard of rumors being Raiden a great chef as well. Maybe he could cook for him.

Raiden could only drink his flask of sake and think to himself why Ichika was up here with the rest of the people. He did make a plan just to eat lunch with Houki alone without bringing anything but that was scrapped immediately. Though Rin and Cecelia came along with Ichika, he had no reason to not refuse to have more people together, right? Since they're both representative candidates, Ichika sure thought they should be able to chat happily about it.

The gang continue to eat lunch as they talk. Rin and Ichika were eating sweet and sour pork, Charles is eating bread that he bought, Raiden was drinking sake, and it seems like Cecilia bought her own share. This means that the sandwiches were meant to be eaten by Raiden.

In the midst of all these, Houki, who's sitting beside Raiden, hasn't moved her chopsticks at all, or should Raiden say, hasn't even opened the cloth that's wrapped around the bento as she remains silent.

"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" asked Raiden.

"That's not it..."

Houki silently passed the bento over, and Ichika really didn't know how to respond. He didn't think Houki would get along well with Raiden as she often gave her usual glance at the blind boy before turning back. In fact, he has observed the two talking to each other more often than not.

 _Maybe it's their connection to the dojo…_ Ichika could only think.

In the end, even though he and they were on the same practical group, it doesn't look like the relationship between him and Houki had improved. Or maybe it did, but in a weird way.

Opening the bento, Raiden could smell the many dishes with balanced nutrition-including salted grilled salmon, deep-fried chicken, chili fried konjac burdock, spinach and sesame salad.

"Wow! It looks so beautifully made."

"I, I just had other reasons. I spent time on it so that I could eat it myself anyway."

"Even so, I'm happy. Thank you, Houki." Raiden then gave a pat on Houki's head which startled the girl before she heavily blushed and found comfort in it.

"Heh, hehe..." _His hands…So big and strong._

Even though she looks like she doesn't mind, Houki still looks rather happy as she opens her bento. Of course, her dishes are similar to Raiden's...hold on.

"Oh, that's weird. No fried chicken?" asked Raiden.

"That, that's because, huh..."

For some reason, her eyes seem to waver.

"Here. Let me give you a piece." Raiden put a piece of fried chicken into Houki's bento, which surprised the girl and made her blush.

"Huh? W-What are you doing? I-I'm on a diet! That's why there's a missing dish. I-"

Raiden merely gave a reassuring smile before a chuckle came along. After all, he couldn't help but chuckle at Houki's cute blush, only for it to grow deeper. Ichika just couldn't tell whether this was Raiden's charm or just Houki being nervous, but then he got bombed by Rin and Cecilia who were glaring at him.

As she's just beside Raiden and being petted by her, Ichika turn to look at her but with that action, she forcefully pushes his face aside.

"Wh-Where are you looking at!? Stop looking!" said Houki as she instinctively clung to Raiden's arm, which surprised him a little.

"What?" asked Ichika in confusion.

"You're looking at a girl's breasts so brazenly!? You, bastard!"

Unable to understand the situation, Charles reveals a puzzled look.

"Ichika...what's with you? Your expression really looks rather weird."

"Weird? Oh, like how?"

"Even your tone changed...well, it sounds like a grandfather who's watching his married grandchildren gather for a reunion."

"At least he isn't some wise old scholar drinking coffee and learning history in the books." asked Raiden jokingly.

Ichika sighed and said "Raiden, I hate you sometimes."

"You're a good friend too, An-chan." said Raiden sarcastically.

Ichika was shot down with a smile. This is the first time he felt an angel's cruelty with support from a lion.

"Ahem! That's enough nonsense. Let's hurry up and eat! Lunchtime's not long enough for us to continue talking like this."

Houki sounded really serious. Raiden stuffed a piece of fried chicken into his mouth. He then turned to Houki and commented,

"Wow, it's delicious! You'd make a great cook, you know."

Houki could immediately blush and stutter at those thoughts now swirling around her head. As it's a bento, it will naturally go cold if left for a long time. Even so, the fried chicken Houki made was still delicious-the skin was crispy, not soggy at all, and Raiden didn't know if she knew that the food would get cold, as there's still the juiciness of the meat in his mouth when he bit it. Even so, what's unbelievable is that it doesn't feel oily, and it does make one want to eat more.

"Grated ginger, soy sauce, and...hmm, what's that? I definitely tasted it before."

"It's garlic. I mixed in a bit of pepper before frying and then added some grated radish to improve the taste."

Raiden could only think to himself and be lost in thought.

 _Wow, I'm shocked. I really can't tell that this person is the one who made that bland fried rice last month for me when she visited me in my room. But what can I say? In cooking or housework, once girls remember the basics, they will improve greatly. Guys have to use a lot of time to gain experience before being able to get to an ordinary standard, so the basic nature is different from girls. No wonder we always come home late from work on an everyday basis._

Raiden then asked, "Houki, is it really okay for you not to eat it?"

"...I ate all the failures myself, so..."

"Hm?"

"Ah, ahhh? No, it's nothing, nothing at all...anyway, I'm glad that you find it good."

Just now, her words did sound somewhat inaudible. Why did Houki try to cover her volume? Is she saying something that's meant to be left just as it is?

"Here."

Then, Raiden cut the fried chicken till it's large enough to feed a girl and grab it with his chopsticks. Of course, he placed his left hand underneath to prevent it from dropping despite the sling he was wearing.

"Wh-What?"

"Open wide."

"No, it's not, that, but…"

For some reason, Houki's stuttering. Ichika couldn't tell if Raiden was thinking too much, but her face does look like she's blushing. Her normally razor sharp personality seem to have disappeared out of nowhere, and right now, Houki's just showing a puzzled look as she looks at her bento and Raiden's chopsticks.

"Come on, Houki. Open." Raiden calmly commanded.

"No, it's not, that...yeah, erm...ahem."

Just when Raiden found her smile extremely mysterious, she suddenly clears her throat and frowns. She opened as Raiden gently put the piece of fried chicken into her mouth before taking out the chopsticks.

"Good girl."

"Oh, could this be considered what they call 'here, say 'ah' that couples do in Japan? You two are really on such good terms with each other."

The moment Charles finished saying, his face shows a smile that's easy to understand-that smile definitely belongs to an outstanding blond rich prince. However, once the prince finished, Rin and Cecilia immediately become an immortal tiger and a war goddess respectively.

"Wh-Who said so? How can you say that they're friendly!?"

"That, that's right! I request the right to correct that!"

Both of them continue to pester at Charles, but even in such a situation, his smile still hasn't disappeared.

 _Oh, the French. What was that saying in their language? Vive la France?_

The group continued eating and engaging in light banter. Ichika was constantly being pestered by Cecilia and Rin, demanding to try some of their food while Raiden, Houki, and Charles merely sat on the sidelines and engage in some good talk here and there.

"Sorry Houki, but the only piece of chicken left is the one I ate." said Raiden.

"Is, is that so?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure if you want to eat what a guy bit before, right? But if that's the case, I have nothing to give you now, since our other dishes are all the same."

"-It's okay even if it's bitten..."

Raiden got silenced for a bit before he broke it. "Houki?"

"Eve-Even if you...took a bite out of it, I don't mind."

Raiden then smiled and, grabbing the piece of chicken with his chopsticks, said "Okay. Open, please."

"Ah, ahh-umph..."

"Good girl."

"Mou. I'm not a pup." Houki said while puffing her cheeks. Raiden could only chuckle at that cute response as he patted her head to her amusement. Seeing her face, Ichika finds that maybe she's somewhat embarrassed? Then again, he doesn't know how girls can blush over him since most of the time they hide it.

"It, it's good..." said an embarrassed Houki.

"I thought so." said Raiden.

"Though I'm not referring to that...but, it's good."

It was then that she started to faintly swoon over to Raiden which he caught and allowed her head to rest on his shoulder, to the shock of everyone but Charles.

"Here, Ichika! Have some of my sweet and sour pork. Hurry up and eat it!"

"Ichika-san! Please have some sandwiches! I'll give you all of it!"

Rin and Cecilia immediately squeezed over to Ichika.

""HERE!""

Both of them squeezed their food over to him, and they seemed to have giving a similar 'here, ah-' action.

"Hold, hold on a minute. I have sweet and sour pork here, and it's weird to have it go along with sandwiches, so I think I'll have it-"

"Ichika. Do as they command." said Raiden.

Using the authoritative voice from Raiden seemed to make Ichika unable to make a comeback; or rather, ending up causing a breakdown in the dialogue.

"R-Raiden, is there anything you like to eat?" Houki suddenly asked such a thing to the blind boy. "Let me feed you something, okay?"

"If you gave your share to me, Houki, wouldn't you have none left?"

"Mu...you're right..."

"Then again, I could always share my dish with you…and more." said Raiden as he whispered the last part to Houki's ear, making the girl blush immensely.

Though the hangar's closer to the arena, they remembered they can use the changing room of the first arena, and the hangar's at the 4th arena, so in the end, they have to run twice. So if they end up spending too much time eating, they have to run quite some distance after that. Ichika wanted to be spared the agony but Raiden, having been an exercise person both in the morning and in the afternoon, didn't seem to mind.

"Hm, Ichika? Don't tell me you take off your IS suit after a practical?" asked Rin.

"What? Can't I?"

"Half of the girls keep them on, you know? It's really troublesome."

 _Well, they are sweat-absorbent and doesn't obstruct movement, so it's okay to wear it._ Thought Raiden.

"If that's the case."

Not just Rin, even Houki, Cecilia, and even Raiden of all people are wearing it? Ichika can't really tell with their clothes on. Ichika really felt that the girls and Raiden have it easy. His IS suit will wrap his ankles, so he really doesn't want to have another pair of pants over it. It'll feel stiff...He doesn't think that will happen, but it'll be hot.

"Di-Didn't I tell you not to continue staring at a girl's body like that!? You pervert!" yelled Rin.

"Huh? No, I don't mean that-"

"Who, who cares about what you mean, that's not gentlemanly at all!" cried Cecilia.

"I was just observing-"

"Wh-What's with you saying that you're 'observing' a girl's body? That's inconsiderate!"

...What's inconsiderate about it here...

"Oh well." Raiden said as he got up along with Houki and Charles as they were about to depart given that their lunches were finished. Or rather, they ate their lunches together.

"Wait, Raiden! Where are you going?" asked a frantic Ichika.

"Well, it's about time I was going. An-chan," Raiden bent over to Ichika and said "take good care of them."

"You're…You're not going to help me with this?"

Raiden stands up and says "I am not." Raiden then took off with Charles and Houki, leaving Rin and Cecilia with Ichika alone on the roof. Ichika had only one question in mind as he ignored the two ladies offering him their foods.

 _How is Raiden an expert at this again?_

* * *

Class 1 was met in the classroom once again to introduce yet another transfer student.

"U-Ummm. I have another exciting announcement to make…we have another friend joining our class."

Raiden could only give a sigh of pity for Yamada-sensei. For a teacher of a young age, Raiden felt she was probably half-qualified for the job. The students immediately whispered in confusion to one another about this new student. Already they had Charles come in yesterday, and now another one? This day either gets more interesting or stranger by the day.

"P-Please be quiet, everyone!" Her introduction hasn't started yet." Yamada-sensei hushed the class, but she was thinking along the same lines for the students.

For Raiden though, he gave a look at the new student. She was of German blood and had silver platinum hair. But the most significant feature was her eyepatch covering her left eye while the other one showed a color of a ruby.

"Introduce yourself." ordered Chifuyu to the girl.

"I'm Laura Bodewig. That is all you need to know."

Silence came to fill the room. Yamada-sensei then asked "U-Um…Is that all…?"

Laura ignored the question and merely came over to Raiden's desk. She glared at him in contempt and said,

"So it's you."

Raiden could only give a look of glare. Then a loud bang was heard and the entire class became shocked. Laura drew out her knife and tried to stab at Raiden's head but Raiden blocked it with his tessen that he pulled out in time. The class was left shocked as everyone looked to see that the new student almost killed the second male IS pilot but he had managed to deflect. Even Ichika and Houki couldn't help but be surprised.

Not wanting to cause another commotion, Laura sheathed her knife and distastefully said,

"I will never forgive you...for what you did!"

The whole class was left in confusion about what had just happened but Raiden gave a look of indifference and coldness, yet thought of why Laura would do such a thing.

"And you..." Laura pointed her finger at Ichika in a cold contempt, who only gave a look of confusion, "I will never accept you...That you are her little brother!"


	7. Chapter 7: Charles is a Girls' Name?

**CHAPTER 7**

"So you do it like 'whoosh,' then 'clang,' then 'bang!'"

"You kind of understand what she's getting at right? It's all about the gut feeling. What? What part of it don't you understand, you idiot?!"

"On the defense, you tilt the right side of your body at a 5-degree angle forward. When you maneuver around, tilt your body backward at a 20-degree angle."

Ichika was getting pretty ticked off at this point and in frustration, said, "Let me straight with you all. I don't get it at all!"

"Why don't you understand?!" Houki groaned incomprehensibly.

"Pay attention when you're supposed to!" Rin criticized.

"I'll explain it to you one more time! Just tilt your body at a 5-degree angle forward and…"

Ichika could only sigh in frustration. He turned to Raiden for help but the blind boy simply shrugged his shoulders, making Ichika further frustrated. Raiden couldn't help but chuckle and smile.

"Ichika!"

Ichika turned to see Charles deployed in his Personal IS, ready to go.

"Will you have a quick match with me? I want to fight your Byakushiki."

"Sure! No Problem!"

Ichika turned to the other three girls and Raiden and said "I'll see you guys later."

 _He's going to lose again._ thought Raiden.

With that, Charles and Ichika flew higher, leaving the three girls with an unsatisfied frown and Raiden looking indifferent.

* * *

The fight did not last long as Ichika had, unsurprisingly to Raiden, lost. And that is saying something.

Once the two boys returned to the ground and Raiden joined in on them, Charles began giving a lecture of detailing Ichika's weaknesses.

"Basically, the reason you cannot win is that you have little grasp of the shooting weapons' characteristics."

Ichika could only cross his arms in disappointment and said, "Mmm…I thought I understood them though…"

"Maybe in the books, but not out on the field." quipped in Raiden.

"Byakushiki doesn't have an equalizer, does it?" asked Charles.

"No." said Ichika. "They said there's no vacant bus slot."

"I'm only speculating this, but that's probably because it's suing the space, but that's probably because it's using the space for the one-off ability."

Ichika could only tilt his head in confusion along with some curiosity. "One-off?"

Raiden explained, "It's the ability that naturally emerges when the IS and its pilot are in their best condition together. I believe Byakushiki has something called Reiraku Byakuya, does it not?"

"I see…"

Ichika smiled at the two boys' detailed and simple explanation.

"You two explain things very simply, don't you?"

The three girls barged into the conversation from behind and gave their complaints.

"You don't even listen to my advice!" said Houki.

"After I very kindly tried to teach you…" said Rin.

"What was wrong with my very articulate explanation?" asked Cecilia.

Raiden saw the three girls yet decided to ignore them and only say to himself in his head,

 _That's what you get._

"Charles, I think it's time for Ichika to learn how to use range weapons. What do you think?"

"I thought I couldn't use someone else's IS equipment." said Ichika.

"Normally, no." said Charles. "But if the user unlocks it, anyone can use it as long as they're a registered user."

Ichika nodded understandingly and took his stance with one of Charles' rifles. The stance was a bit awkward so Charles decided to step in.

"Hold it more like…" He hugged Ichika's back and readjusted the stance with his hands for Ichika to get a better grip, look, and feel of the gun.

"Hey." said Rin. "Don't you think those two are getting along too well…?"

Ichika took his shots as soon as the targets shot up. They weren't bullseyes but he had at least got a decent score.

"43 points! Not bad." commented Raiden.

"So what do you think?" asked Charles.

"I don't know, but it sure felt fast!" said Ichika.

Raiden smiled as soon as the targets reset themselves. However, before the boys could proceed with more shooting, a black IS unit stood atop the barracks. The other classmates seemed to have noticed it too and started to murmur amongst themselves in awe.

"Hey, look at that!"

"No way! Isn't that Germany's third generation?"

"Eh? I heard that it's still in its trial period in the country."

The atmosphere felt tense and the group felt unwelcomed. Cecilia frowned while crossing her arms and said "Laura Bodewig."

"So it's her? The one who tried to kill Raiden?" asked Rin.

Laura glared down at the person in question,

"Hataru Raiden…So you have a personal unit…That makes things easier. Fight me."

Raiden merely looked at her and asked "Give me your reason."

"I have no interest in telling you." insisted the one-eyed German.

Raiden kept his stern composure and said, "If you have no interest in telling me, then I have no interest in fighting you."

"Well then…"

Laura charged up her railgun on her right and without warning, fired a shot at Ichika. But Charles quickly got in front and deflected the shot away with her materialized shield.

"Charles!" cried Ichika.

Charles could only glare up at Laura and say, "To challenge someone just like that out of the blue, only to gun down an innocent bystander…You Germans must have a very low boiling point!"

"You think you can challenge me, lowly French scum?" asked a smirked Laura. "Then let me show you what we Germans are capable of!"

Laura attempted to fire again with her railgun at Charles and Ichika at maximum power, intent on severely damaging them both but the shot was deflected by another IS that got in front of the two boys.

Lion Heart was deployed and Raiden charged forth fast and made a cut on Laura's IS, making her back off a little bit before she found herself being pointed by the gunblade, with Raiden's finger on the trigger.

"You!" gritted the one-eyed German.

Raiden could only be silent as he pointed his gunblade at the mark on Laura where he made the cut.

"You students over there! What do you think you're doing?" A loud voice over the microphone boomed in the arena.

Laura clicked her tongue in disappointment and said "I'll let you off."

She deactivated her unit, making the IS disappear and prompting Raiden to do the same. Before she left, Laura gave a glare at the blind boy.

"This isn't over, just so you know. I will be back for you."

Laura took off and Raiden only said two words in his mind with sarcasm.

 _Duly noted._

Raiden then jumped down to the arena floor where one would normally expect to end up with broken legs but Raiden landed perfectly and without injury before reuniting with the group.

"What was that about, Raiden?" Houki demanded, unable to overcome her curiosity.

"Did something happen between you two before?!" Rin added.

Raiden could only stare at the spot where Laura was with a look of indifference.

* * *

With training day over for the day, Ichika, Raiden, and Charles returned to the locker room. While two of the boys changed, Ichika was merely sitting on the bench in deep thought. Charles asked in concern,

"Ichika, are you alright?"

Ichika noticed the boy's worry for him and nodded,

"Yeah, thanks for saving me earlier. You too Raiden."

Raiden had just put on his uniform shirt and said "Anytime."

"Well, I'm going back to the room now. I'll take a shower over there." said Charles.

"Huh? You're not taking a shower here, Charles?" asked Ichika. "You never do, to be honest."

Charles could only sweat drop nervously before Ichika asked, "Why does it bother you so much to get changed around us? C'mon, let's get changed together for a change!"

Raiden quickly took notice of how helpless Charles was and said "Charles, if you're going to take a shower, make sure it's quick. Orimura-sensei is looking for you."

That statement made Ichika regain a composure and urged Charles, "Eh? Really? Oh man. Forget changing then. You better get going, Charles. She's very strict with time."

Charles nodded furiously,

"Y-Yeah, I really should! Thanks for reminding me, Raiden."

Charles then took off and by the time he left, Raiden was already fully dressed.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, An-chan."

"Yeah. Have a good night."

Dusk had come upon the Academy. The sun was almost gone from the horizon during its setting and Raiden was walking silently back to his dorm. In his mind, only one thing lingered.

 _I will never forgive you...for what you did!_

As he contemplated, he could only think as to why Laura did what she did. His memories of his past were a little fuzzy at best so he decided to make a call. But before he could, heard two voices ahead of him.

"Please answer me, Instructor! Why are you at a place like this?"

"Don't make me repeat myself over and over. I have my own role. That's all."

Raiden heard voices from the other side, so he hid behind a tree and peeked over to see Chifuyu and Laura speaking to one another. A few trees down the lane though, he could see Ichika beginning to eavesdrop as well, either through sheer stupidity or curiosity.

Laura could only vent her frustration and asked, "What role do you have at a place like this in the Far East?! Please, Instructor! Teach us in Germany once again! Your wasting even half of your ability here!"

"Oh?" Chifuyu could only slightly raise her eyebrow in amusement.

"The students here at this academy don't even deserve to be taught by you, especially if one of them cannot see! They lack a sense of the danger and mistake the IS for some kind of fashion or something! It's unbelievable that you give the time of day to people like that!"

"That's enough, little girl."

Laura stopped immediately when she felt a certain coldness in Chifuyu's voice, if not an aura of rage at the mere mention of a certain student who is blind.

"Looks like you've grown arrogant since last I saw you." Chifuyu said. Her next sentence had a little bit of sarcasm to it. "I'm surprised that you're already acting like a chosen one when you're only 15."

"I-I was just…"

"Furthermore," Chifuyu continued. "I have a debt to repay and a mistake that needs amending. Now return to your dorm. I'm busy."

Laura could only look down silently in frustration after seeing the stern look on Chifuyu's face. She then turned off and ran off, leaving Chifuyu staring out into the lake horizon as the orange color of the setting sun painted the area.

"Male student over there, eavesdropping? Aberrant sexual propensity is distasteful."

Ichika jumped out of the hiding spot and retorted,

"Why does it turn out like that, Chifuyu-nee!"

"Call me Orimura-sensei at school, you idiot." Chifuyu commanded in a strict voice.

"H-Hai…"

Chifuyu then said with an obvious look, "If you've got time to do stupid stuff like this, you should be out training. At this rate, you'll be defeated in the first round of the tournament."

"I know…" Ichika nodded to his regret. He then changed the subject asking his sister,

"Hey, about what Laura said about me earlier today about how she doesn't accept that I'm your little brother. She was talking about how you missed the opportunity to win the second championship because of me, wasn't she? But what debt could you-" Ichika looked away and slightly cringed with guilt.

Chifuyu could only answer indifferently and said,

"That's all in the past. There's no need for you to worry about that."

"But-"

"Besides," Chifuyu gave a very small sigh and said "The debt and mistake that I must attend to does **not** concern you. Hurry up and return to your accommodation. It's already past dinner time."

Without being able to say another thing, Ichika obeyed and continued on his way back. However, he could not hold back from making a guilty frown as his thoughtful memories came back to him.

 _That's right; the 2_ _nd_ _Mondo Grosso, the world championship of the IS championship. On the day of final match, I was kidnapped. I still don't know why. I was detained and imprisoned for who knows how long. But Chifuyu-nee abandoned the final match in order to come to my rescue. Of course, she lost the finals match by default. Everyone had no doubt of her back-to-back victory, so it caused controversy when she abstained from the match. And in order to repay the German Army, who provided the information on the location where I was being held during the incident, she worked as an instructor for Germany's IS unit for about a year; of course, this was a deal that was negotiated under the table, so that the Japanese government wouldn't notice._

 _It's simple really. It was my fault for being weak in the first place. What a pathetic brother I am…_

Ichika's thoughts then turned to Raiden. He noticed that he and Chifuyu had talked a lot ever since he came to the Academy. Not only that but ever since his injuries from the Golem IS, Chifuyu had kept a close eye on the blind boy. For Ichika though, he could not figure out why she would do such a thing.

 _I wonder how Raiden would feel if he were kidnapped. But it doesn't matter. I can't continue to have Chifuyu-nee, or Raiden for that matter, watch out for me all the time…_

With these thoughts swimming around his head, Ichika headed back to his room.

* * *

Meanwhile in another location, Chifuyu was walking back when she stopped by the lake on the grassland. She then asked,

"Aren't you supposed to be getting your sleep?"

The figure appeared from behind a pillar and emerged Raiden.

"You can sense my presence. Tell me, Aneue. What debt could you possibly have to repay? You never made any mistake."

Chifuyu could only glare at Raiden and say "So you were eavesdropping as well?"

"Everything." Raiden confessed.

Chifuyu then motioned for Raiden to sit on a nearby bench by the lake. She then said, "I have a debt of eight years to pay. You told me that we should make up the time we lost as family and that is something I am willing to fulfill."

Raiden could only be silent for a moment before he asked "Why do you even care, Chifuyu? It's not your family. You already have your brother."

Chifuyu could only reply,

"I care because the same small blind boy I held in my arms made me responsible for his life and his well-being. I couldn't just leave you to the orphanage and just simply let you go."

"Should I just bury the past out there with my parents, Aneue? Leave my vengeance void?"

"I wouldn't presume to tell you what to do with your past, Otouto. Just know that there are those of us who care about what you do with your future, but most especially me. Ichika has his own path to walk and I cannot be there for him indefinitely. But for you…"

Chifuyu then wrapped her arm around the blind boy's head and made him rest on her shoulder.

"You show the most potential out of everyone. You say you wanted revenge for what has happened. And it's my job to ensure that you obtain it, without destroying yourself in the process."

Raiden then looked up to Chifuyu and asked,

"Haven't given up on me yet?"

Chifuyu smiled and gently kissed him on the forehead saying, "Never."

The two merely sat to watch the sun set before "Get back to your dorm okay?"

"Yes, Ma'am." said Raiden as he walked.

Raiden then turns to an alley on a road that leads to the dormitories. But as he turned, Raiden stopped, sensing that something about the atmosphere was not right. Gathering his instincts together in an instant, he takes out his fan and blocks a strike from the back by a familiar face.

Laura attempted to knife at Raiden yet was pushed back by the deployed iron fan. Laura could only grit her teeth and asked,

"How did you know where I was?"

Raiden merely replied "You aren't the only one who has had military training."

Laura lunged forward and tried to stab Raiden, but he side-stepped before Laura attempted to slice him, making him back off before coming in to swing at her neck which she was able to block. But Raiden then kneed her deep into the stomach before taking her arm and throwing her backwards onto the floor. He then got on top and kneed her again in the stomach, making air leave her lungs.

"Unacceptable! I refuse to accept this..."

Laura's anger was beginning to manifest, that much was certain. Had she an extra knife she could've pulled it out and take a stab at Raiden, but he was too good and his instincts were too precise.

Raiden then left Laura on the ground and merely turned away, walking towards his dorm.

"Just who are you?" Asked Laura.

Raiden stopped and looked a little back before saying "I am myself; nothing more."

Raiden managed to get himself into a corner where it was dark. Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed in a number that was soon picked up.

"Miri, it's me. I need to ask you a favor..."

* * *

Ichika had just returned to his dorm room. As he entered, he heard the shower going off. Charles was already inside taking a shower.

"I'm back. Are you taking a shower, Charles?"

Ichika remembered that there was no body soap left in the bathroom. Luckily, the Academy always keeps extras of the same stuff that lasts for the whole year. Ichika grabbed a bottle from the closet before entering into the bathroom.

"Charles, the body soap is out, right? Here's a replace—"

But as soon as Ichika entered the bathroom, he saw a naked Charles, who apparently displayed a very feminine figure. Not to mention that her blonde hair was quite longer than usual along with…other assets, especially among the chest. Sensing this, she embarrassingly covered her chest and…lower front.

The two could only stare in silence before Ichika broke it and handed over the body soap.

"Um…Here's the body soap."

"Y-Yeah." said Charles as she took the body soap. "Thank you."

"Catch you later." said Ichika as he awkwardly walked out of the bathroom while remaining stunned.

"Yeah."

The door closed and as soon as it did, Ichika let out a loud gasp of shock.

Once night had fallen, Ichika was changed into his casual clothing and sat on his bed. Charles soon came out with a towel and sat on her own bed facing away. The atmosphere was nothing but dead silence, like what you would find at a graveyard or even a dead forest.

Ichika once more broke it and said "So, um…Let's have some tea."

"I'll have some, too." said Charles. At this point, she was nothing but a squealing mouse.

Ichika poured some green tea into two cups and approached the blonde girl to hand one of them over.

"Here."

"T-Thank you."

When she reached for her cup, her fingers made contact with Ichika's hand, which made her jump slightly.

She blushed and gave a small "Eek!" while pulling her hand back. The cup had dropped and Ichika was able to catch it, albeit spilling the hot tea over his hand with a sizzle.

"Ow! Hot, hot, hot, hot!"

Ichika scrambled over to the sink and ran cold tap over his hand. Charles' eyes widened and covered her mouth to hide the shock while coming to his aid. It was then that she walked over to examine it.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay? Let me look at it! Oh no, it's all red. I'm really sorry."

"It's nothing. Rather than that…" Ichika could feel a pair of something pressing up against his arm whose hand was being washed. "Could you...Y-You're pressing against me."

"Huh?" Charles looked down and saw her chest touching Ichika and pulled away in embarrassment. She then turned around and said,

"Ichika, you pervert."

"How so?!"

After that debacle, the two roommates sat on their respective beds and faced each other.

"So, why were you pretending to be a guy?" asked Ichika.

Charles had answered "My father told me to."

"You mean the Dunois CEO?"

"Yes. It was a direct order from him."

Ichika got slightly aghast.

"You see, Ichika…I am an illegitimate child of his."

Ichika was further shocked of this confession. Charles continued to explain her background.

"I lived separately from him for many years, but I was brought into the family two years ago when my mother died. People from Dunois came to fetch me afterwards. After doing many tests, they discovered I have good compatibility with the IS. So, unofficially, I became a test pilot. But I've only met my father twice. I've talked to him for maybe less than an hour total. After that, the business fell into a financial crisis."

"But I thought Dunois Corporation was the third largest mass producer of the IS in the world." said Ichika.

"Yes, but no matter how one looks at it, Revive is a second generation model. Currently, mainstream research is on third generation models, with a fourth becoming a theory. The reason why people like Cecilia or Laura transferred to this school is because they need to collect data for that development. The company has started working on third generation, but progress hasn't been going well. At this rate, production rights will be taken away.

"How is that related to you coming here and pretending to be a guy?" asked Ichika.

"Simple." Charles answered. "A marketing ploy to gather attention. And if pretending to be a boy, it would be easier to make contact with two special cases that came up in Japan. They thought they might be able to gather data on those individuals and their units, too. Yes. He told me to steal your data on your IS."

Ichika could only be shown in shock before Charles revealed another fact.

"However, you were only the secondary target."

"What?" Ichika asked in a slight confusion.

"Raiden was the primary target. His IS, according to my father, was more 'special' than yours. So he ordered me to observe and analyze Lion Heart more and send any data to him. Why my father was interested in it, I do not know."

The two could only be in silence before Charles gave a sigh and said "Telling the truth makes me feel much better. Thank you for listening. Also, I'm sorry for lying to you."

"Are you really alright with that?" asked Ichika in a serious tone. "Are you really fine with this? No, right?!" Ichika got up and grabbed Charles' shoulders which jumped her a little.

"Ichika?"

"Without children, parents aren't born. Of course they aren't! But it doesn't mean they can do anything they want with their children!"

"Ichika…"

"I…Chifuyu-nee and I were abandoned by our parents."

Charles gasped a little at this revelation.

"Don't worry about that." reassured Ichika. "I don't want to see them, anyway. But, what are you going to do now?"

"Well…Since my cover's blown, I'm sure I'll be called back to my country. I don't know what happens after that. Best case scenario is that I'll maybe end up in jail."

"Stay here then!" said Ichika passionately. "I'll keep this to myself! Even if others find out about it, I'm sure your father and his company cannot do anything to you."

Ichika then pulled out a small book and turned to a certain page of it.

"IS Academy Appendix: The students of IS Academy, while enrolled, are not affiliated to any nation, organization, or group while in the school. So long as you remain here at school, you will be safe for at least three years. Think of a way out in the meantime."

"I'm surprised you remembered that." said Charles. "There are fifty-five items in the appendix."

"Despite appearances, I'm pretty good with books."

Charles stood up with a warm and sincere smile on her face. "Ichika. Thank you for covering for me."

Ichika could only smile before his eyes trailed down to her cleavage being shown, along with her IS necklace. He blushed immediately and turned his head away in embarrassment.

"Y-Your breasts. They're showing."

Charles could only cover them up in embarrassment after she found out that her cleavage showed more than what it seemed to show.

"Do they catch your eyes that much?" asked Charles.

"Of course!" said Ichika.

"By any chance, do you want to see them?" Charles asked embarrassingly which made Ichika gasp. "Ichika, you pervert."

"No! Why did you take it there?!"

A knock was soon heard at the door and a familiar British and chirpy voice came from it.

"Ichika-san, are you there? It seems that you haven't eaten dinner yet. Are you feeling bad?"

The sudden knocking and calling at the door made them jump up in shock. Both Charles and Ichika proceeded to the former's bed and came up with a plan.

"Ichika-san, I'm coming in."

Cecilia came in and by the time she entered, she saw Charles in bed with Ichika tending to her.

"What's going on here?" asked Cecilia.

"Charles said he was feeling a little sick, so I was tucking him into bed."

Charles let out a fake cough to make the deception work. The next statement managed to give the two hope.

"Oh? That's too bad. Would it be alright if I took Ichika away for a little bit?"

Charles gave another fake cough before she said "Go ahead."

"I happen to not have had dinner yet, either. Would you care to join me?" Cecilia asked to Ichika.

"S-Sure."

She then clung onto Ichika's arm and led him out against this will. But as soon as they got out, another familiar girl with a familiar ponytail saw them while carrying a katana wrapped in traditional Japanese wrapping that covered the entire sword.

"Ichika! What is going on here?!" Houki asked with venom dripping from her mouth as she saw Cecilia clinging onto her childhood friend's arm.

"We're about to have dinner, together." Cecilia said with an emphasis on together.

"What's that got to do with you linking your arm around his and being so close to him like that?!"

"A gentleman is expected to escort a lady. Isn't that common sense?"

Houki could only let off a hmph! before she smirked and said "You're at least lucky. I was going to find Raiden to have dinner with him."

"Oh my, Houki. You know excessive eating will cause you to gain weight. Not to mention the fact that you are going to take Aniki with you."

"First of all, when did you start calling him Aniki? And second, it's none of your concern since I have been practicing Iai with this and burn some calories later." She later unwrapped the string tying the katana and took out a shin-ken with her eyes sparkling in eagerness. Without further delay, she wrapped it back up and said,

"Anyway, do you know where I can find Raiden? He hasn't had dinner yet."

"I haven't seen him since. Maybe he is in his room?" asked Ichika. The three then departed but Ichika could not help but wonder something.

 _How did Raiden ever manage to get Houki's attention on him?_

* * *

A couple of hours had passed since Ichika unwillingly left with Cecilia. All Charles could do at this point was just lie in bed and wait for Ichika to return. It was then that she heard the door open and close. She turned around and sat up to see yet did not expect this visitor.

"Raiden?" asked Charles.

"At ease." reassured the blind boy as he walked over to the window to stare at the night ocean, his back facing Charles as he merely looked out and after a moment of silence, he spoke.

"I remember that town, in that park in France."

Charles gasps, having caught wind of this and turned to Raiden before he turned and, with a warm smile, said,

"It's been a long time…Charlotte."

At that moment, the gates were opened. Charlotte could only stare wide eyed and be in shock. All thoughts left her mind as the blind boy looked at her with a smile. She then asked this question,

"So you've remembered now?"

Raiden turns back to the ocean and says "My memory is still a little fuzzy but I've regained most of it. I asked around in the CIA about you. Luckily, your father doesn't keep his most guarded secrets that close to him and his security was frail at best. After I left though, it seems as if your mother had passed away…"

"Yes."

Flashbacks from Charlotte's mind emerge from her as she explains her events. After displaying what she already told to Ichika, she then said,

"It was around the time that I met you. I sensed a sort of kindred spirit in you when I saw the lonely look on your face. I was able to forget how mistreated I was while I played with you. But you started coming back to the park less and less, which had hurt me. And then, when you were gone, my mother had died."

Charlotte then gives a solemn look of sadness as she looks down in thought.

"My mother was so important to me that losing her broke my heart even further. I was so mistreated by my other family members that I had to be a good girl. A girl who is told to do what she is told to do, even by her illegitimate father."

Still staring out to the ocean, Raiden then says, "Charlotte, I remember a bit more about myself back in that town." Flashbacks of Raiden's memories in France then emerged in his mind.

"Back then, I had my hands full with my family's affairs. I was feeling down for a time, but you distracted me by subjecting me to your selfish whims." Raiden then turns to Charlotte who then looks up.

"There are times when selfishness can truly save a soul. This is something my Mentor used to say, 'Kids who are too obedient and never think for themselves are the hardest to watch.' I'm sure that amid the anguish you felt amongst your family because of what you are and of making you endure so much, I'm sure a small part of your father questioned whether he loved his child or his work more. And I think he loved the former more so than the latter, even if he does not see that. It wasn't you being selfish. It was what he wished for his daughter and not his own ambitions. A child's whims are sometimes the happiest of things. It's okay for you to be a little more selfish."

Raiden then comes close to Charlotte and gives a gentle pat on the head, earning a slight gasp from her. With a smile, he said,

"No one could have made it this far and well as you, Charlotte."

Tears then began to emerge from Charlotte's eyes as she begins to cry. The feeling of seeing the boy she met at the park years ago raced through her like a warm feeling, emptying her mind of everything and focusing it all on Raiden. She then comes to Raiden and hugs him hard and passionately and Raiden hugs in return.

"Raiden…"

More flashbacks appear in Raiden's mind as he continues to hug Charlotte and gently pet her head.

 _My Mentor also had another saying, "Being indebted to someone is nothing to be ashamed of. Not paying that debt is." Since you saved me back then, I'm prepared to repay your kindness._

The two released their hug yet did not let go of each other. They merely stared at each other as Raiden stroked her hair to her side. Charlotte, to her urges and temptations, lead upward and closed her eyes unconsciously, prompting Raiden to do the same. Their lips then met as their kiss was gentle and sweet.

But the second one was a little more vigorous and hard as Raiden, to Charlotte's surprise, crushed his lips with hers and interacted his tongue with hers, making Charlotte's eyes go wide-eyed before shutting them. Charlotte kissed back and wrapped her arms around Raiden's neck while he wrapped his around her hips.

After a few minutes of reunion, the two couldn't help but smile at each other as they touched their foreheads to each other. Eventually, Raiden could hear Ichika's footsteps from faraway and said,

"I have to go. We'll make up time when we're alone, okay?"

"Okay."

Charlotte couldn't help but smile and watch as her childhood friend left her room. She then looked out to the ocean and think only of Raiden, the boy she knew years ago as a child. The boy she saw as a kind and gentle soul who was merely curious of the world just like her.

The boy she fell in love with.

* * *

Night had fallen and Laura was standing at the edge by one of the hangars of the arena. She could only look with a face filled with revenge. The moonlight all the more made is very clear.

"Instructor. Your absolute strength is my goal and the reason why I exist."

Laura then began to undo her eyepatch, which displayed a golden eye with a black pupil.

"Orimura Ichika. The very person who sullied her. I will eliminate you. No matter the means. But first…Hataru Raiden, I will kill you...for what you did to me."

Unknown to her from behind stood a boy with a blindfold and of silver hair. Hiding from behind a wall, he listened into Laura's words. It was then however that from his blindfold where one would see two eyes, a purple fiery mascara emerged as he decided to head back, keeping this vendetta a secret.


	8. Chapter 8: Premature Awakening

**CHAPTER 8**

"Is that true?!" asked Cecilia.

Class 1 was already speaking about the rumor being spread all over the school. Class hadn't begun yet which allowed Rin to visit the classroom for obvious reasons.

"I'm telling the truth! The entire school is talking about it. If you win first place in the tournament this month, you'll get to date any of the boys you want."

"Are the boys aware of this too?" asked Rin.

"I don't think so." said another girl. "They don't seem attentive of it."

"Attentive of what?" asked Ichika as he entered along with Raiden and Charles. Everyone jumped and returned to their seats as quickly as they can.

Raiden, Ichika, and Charles were left with clue marks on their heads before they made their way to their spots.

* * *

Houki had walked outside to the balcony by the school. In her head, she was contemplating about her actions that had unwillingly given consequences she wasn't aware of. Grabbing onto the railings, she thought to herself,

 _Why? How could I have let this happen?_

She then recalled her words to Raiden.

" **If…If I win the tournament next month, th…then…then you NEED TO DATE ME!"**

She had no idea that she was being spied upon and that her words and high voice echoed loud enough for gossipers to hear and spread this all over the school. Now, if anyone wins the tournament, they would go on a date with either Raiden or Ichika.

And yet for Houki, dwelling on it mattered little in the long run. However, another thought rushed into her mind as did the flashbacks of her past.

 _When my sister had announced the creation of the IS, the whole world changed. Including my life. I was forcefully separated from Ichika and the National Kendo tournament was canceled. Placed under strict surveillance, I was interviewed countless times, each one only grew more and more miserable._

 _Six years had I not seen Ichika. All I did was continue my Kendo training. And yet, during on tournament, all I felt was violence. I had dishonored myself through sheer force without restraint. All I did was beat my opponents without honor…_

 _And yet when we were reunited, he only thinks of me as a childhood friend._

Anger gripped Houki until Raiden popped into her head which calmed her down.

 _So why? Why do I feel so comfortable around Raiden? He calms me, grants me peace. I even listened to his story and comforted him. So why does my heart beat fast for him whenever he is around me? Does…Does he think of me as something more to him?_

 _He may seem strong and protective but even he has his own battles to fight. And yet, he has battled them alone for so long. He is hurt, tired, and at the point of giving up._

Houki then only looked to the skies as she said to herself,

"I have to win this. If I want to help and protect Raiden, then I must win!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Rin was on the arena field stretching her legs and preparing for practice, but a chirpy voice resounded from behind her,

"Ara? Isn't it Rin-san?"

Rin looked at Cecilia in slight surprise.

"You're early."

"I thought I would be the first one to arrive here." Cecilia said in her own way of being surprised.

"I was going to train to win the tournament." said Rin.

"That's exactly what I was going to do too."

The two girls glared at each other with sparks going between them. They both had the same idea in their head: train to win the tournament so that they can go out on a date with Ichika. With that in mind, they both activated their IS.

"Maybe it's not a bad idea to settle this for who is better!" said Rin.

"Fine by me." acknowledged Cecilia. "Let's settle this to see who is more strong…and who is more elegant! Although, it's quite obvious I'm better than you on all accounts."

Both combatants charged at each other but before they could even strike, a shot wheezed past between them and made them stop in their tracks. They turned to see Laura Bodewig in her IS as well, giving off her own sneer.

"I see that you two are just as I thought. Weak, arrogant, ill-tempered, and truly pitiful."

"What did you just say!?" asked Cecilia.

"To think that people like you have third-generation type IS's just like mine. You call yourselves representatives, but I see that your respective countries are just the same as ever: power hungry and feeble before the might of others."

The two girls gritted their teeth in anger. Rin then turned to Cecilia and asked "Want to take her on?"

"Let's show her what it means to be both a lady and a representative." acknowledged Cecilia.

"Come then." said Laura. "I won't lose to you fools who fight over a nobody."

The two girls then charged forth toward the one-eyed German. This was going to get ugly.

* * *

"Ichika, are you going for special training today?" asked Charles.

"Well, yeah, I remember the only arena that can be used is-"

"The 3rd arena."

Charles and Ichika walked down the corridor side by side, only to hear an unexpected voice, causing them to jump up in shock. Maybe she was unhappy with their united response, but the 3rd person who was standing beside them from who knows when, Houki frowns.

"...Is there a need to be shocked? That's rude."

"Ah, oh, I'm sorry."

"Sorry, I got shocked. It was too sudden." said Charles.

"Ah, no, I'm not blaming you..." reassured Houki.

Seeing Charles bow down properly, even Houki's momentum got cut by half. And then, seemingly feeling like she lost face, Houki deliberately coughed a few times to change the topic.

"Anyway, let's head to the 3rd arena. I heard that there will be very few people using it today, so if there's time, I should be able to carry out some mock battles."

Since the IS ability is proportionate to the actual operation time, it's great even if it's just a little time. Ichika was really grateful to have some training like a mock battle. As the trio headed towards the arena, they found a lot of tension over there, and there were a lot of students running around in the corridor. It seems like the commotion happened at the 3rd arena.

"What's wrong?"

"What's going on? Should we check it out?" Charles said as she pointed at the gate to the spectator stands. It's better to go there than to go through the ordinary gate, so Ichika nodded his head in agreement.

"It seems like there're people having a mock battle, but the situation seems to be-"

Just as both of us turn to look at a sudden explosion, two shadows flew out of the smoke like they were cutting through it.

"RIN! CECILIA!"

Under the isolation of the protective shields, the explosions on the stage itself didn't spread to us, but at the same time, Ichika couldn't hear them.

Both of them looked hurt as they gazed directly at the center of the explosion, and standing over there was Laura, who was piloting the pitched-black IS Schwarzer Regen. Looking closely, Rin and Cecilia's IS' were severely damaged. There were damage marks all over the frame, and a part of the IS armor was completely broken. In contrast, Laura's IS wasn't completely unscathed, but the damage was relatively light compared to them.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING-HEY, HEY!"

Ichika's voice couldn't reach them from here, and it couldn't be helped. After looking at Rin and Cecilia, he turned to look at Laura. Though it was a 2 vs 1, the ones in trouble were Rin and Cecilia, who, logically, should have been in an advantageous situation.

Rin's IS Shenlong opened its shoulders. Docked on them were the pressurized-air impact cannons, the maximum output weapons of the Shenlong. If it were a training machine, one shot would definitely wreck it, but Laura wasn't avoiding at all.

"That's useless against the absolute barrier of the Schwarzer Regen."

The invisible shots of the impact cannons were aimed at Laura, but no matter how Ichika looked at it, the attacks never landed on her. Maybe she deployed some protective shield or something like that, but Laura only reached her right hand out, and the impact cannons were completely nullified while they impact.

She shot out blades from her shoulders at Rin's IS. As they were both linked to the main body by electronic cables, she was able to let them fly out in complicated paths to avoid the direct shots and thus grabbed Rin's right foot-they seemed to be weapons that were a mix between blades and cables.

"Do you think I'll let you do as you please so many times!?"

Covering Rin, Cecilia attacked and launched her BITs at Laura.

"Ho...I don't know if Blue Tears is said to have the highest mobility in theory, but treating that design as a 3rd generation frame? That's a joke."

Cecilia used accurate sniping and the bits to launch attacks from all over the place, and Laura continued to dodge and extend her arm out like just before. This time, she seemed to grab something in front of her while she was folding her arms, and the moment she did that, the BITs stopped.

"Your movements are sealed!"

"Yours too."

Though Cecilia managed to snipe her target accurately, Laura shot her large cannon to completely negate it. Laura threw Rin, who she caught just now, at Cecilia, who intended to continue firing. It was a theory of using cables to swing down in a clockwork manner, simple, yet effective.

"Ah!"

Facing the two of them while they lost their balance in mid-air, Laura launched her attack. Her speed could be compared to a bullet as she closed in within a second. But if this is a close combat battle, it was beneficial for Rin as well. At this moment, she could also use her scimitar to counter. Just as Ichika was thinking that, he was shocked to see Rin undoing the knot.

However, Ichika immediately understood the reason why she did that. Laura deployed the plasma blades from her sleeve and hacked at Rin with them.

"You...!"

While Laura was moving forward, Rin backed away and increased the distance, dodging a few blows in the process, skillfully using the shape of the arena to move and forcing herself not to get into any dead ends. However, Laura's cable blades attacked again, the two on her shoulders and the ones on both sides of her waist, 6 of them altogether. They all attacked in 3 dimensions as she continued to use her plasma blades to attack viciously. Even if it was Rin, who was so used to fighting, it was too difficult for her to deal with all the attacks adequately.

"Heh!"

Rin again deployed the impact cannons and gathered the power there.

"How naive! Using pressurized-air weapons that need time in this situation?"

As Laura said this, her cannons destroyed the impact cannons before shooting. As the armor on her back got shot off, Rin's body lost balance and Laura used this chance to stab the plasma blade at her chest.

"I WON'T LET YOU!"

At the last moment, Cecilia rushed in between Rin and Laura and used her rifle as a shield. After avoiding the sure-kill attack, she shot the missile from her waist at Laura.

*BOOMM!*

That was almost the equivalent of a suicidal close-ranged rocket as the explosion caught Rin and Cecilia, causing them to tumble on the floor.

"That was reckless of you..."

"Save the complaints for later. But really, that should have done some damage-" Cecilia stopped as she spoke.

As the smoke scattered, standing over there was Laura. Even though it was an explosion at close range, she was still floating in mid-air without a scratch.

"Is it over? Well then-it's my turn."

The moment she said that, she used the Ignition Boost to glide down to the ground, first kicking Rin and then shooting Cecilia with a cannon.

Then, Laura used the cabled blades to grab their bodies and drag them to her. After that, one-sided violence ensued.

Laura's fists clamped down hard on their arms, legs and bodies, causing their defenses to drop lower than what the machine maintenance warning zone permitted. If the damage kept up, the IS would be forcefully removed! It will be critical danger to their lives! But Laura didn't stop as she continued to beat and kick Rin and Cecilia, ripping their IS armor apart.

"Time to end this." said Laura as she activated one of her sabers.

Just as they were about to meet their fateful ends, they heard the sound of flesh being pierced. Both Cecilia and Ling closed their eyes for a moment before opening them and what they saw was something that left them shocked and speechless. Even everyone at the stands looked on with eyes wide open and faces full of shock, some of them screaming at what had just occurred.

An energy saber went through something that faced the two girls. The figure it took was a person and blood poured freely from the chest as did the person's mouth. The person coughed some up and it landed on both of the girls who still remained stunned at what they saw in front of them.

It was Raiden, and he had taken a hit for the girls with his body. But the worst part was that he was not deployed in his IS and merely used his human body as a shield. His breathing became ragged as the groaning of pain became softer and softer until it was heard no more.

Laura remained unemotional as Raiden soon went limp. Mercilessly, she pulled her saber out and Raiden's body fell before her, dead. As she looked to Raiden's corpse that continued to pour out blood, she said "Pathetic. Using your own body as a shield for these two? How foolish."

The girls were now filled with fury at this point. For someone like Laura to insult their friend who had just sacrificed himself to protect them was not only dishonorable but also cowardly and arrogant. They tried to take this chance to use the last ounce of their strength to assault Laura but were once again being chocked by Laura's cables. However, the German girl became unaware that something was afoul of the air. As she continued to choke the girls, something blinked on her IS in red. She looked towards her cannon and saw a red/black tendril cloud-like energy surrounding it. After a few seconds, the cannon started to disintegrate into ashes.

Laura became confused, shocked that something so anonymous had manage to destroy her cannon with ease, and backed off a little in confusion. She then turned her eyes to Raiden whose corpse was fully covered in the same energy before a black and red claw reached out and violently grabbed Laura's face and tossed her around. Laura was stunned and could not break free. Soon she was thrown aside from the claw and her cables were cut, sparing Cecilia and Rin's lives as they fell unconscious.

As Laura stood up, she saw something emerge from the energy tendril cloud.

 _D-Damn…what the hell was that?_

A full bodied IS appeared in the form of a lion that was taller than your average Uchigane and stood on its back legs straight up. It was black in appearance and the eyes glowed purple with a fiery mascara and produced two lion-like claws and a jaw that moved on its own, giving an angry expression and showing its black teeth. It growled lowly but it was enough for everyone to hear which made them quiver in fear. It looked similar to Lion Heart but the wings were feathered like those of a fallen angel, its exoskeleton in a demonic appearance of sorts, and its black head with a white mane was covered in large red spikes. A tail with a large, sharp, metal, bat-winged like tail swished behind it, ready to smack anyone out of its way. ( **AUTHOR'S NOTE** : **For reference, look up Griever from FFVIII but imagine it being more mechanized** )

Ichika, Charles, and Houki watched from the stands, along with the other bystanders, of the thing that had just emerge. Already they had witness Raiden taking a hit from Laura's saber only to emerge from the energy-like smoke in something terrifyingly powerful.

"What…what is that thing?" asked Charles, only to have no answer as everyone looked on in silence and shock.

The lion turned its full attention to Laura and charged directly at her. Laura attempted to attack with her cables but the lion was quicker and made her crash into a wall of the arena by ramming into her. Along the way, the lion made its first strike by cutting directly into Laura's torso, tearing at her flesh as blood splattered to the side. With its claws, it continued to drain away Laura's shields bit by bit while also tearing at some parts of her IS, more specifically the upper portion where some of the wired daggers were held, until it grabbed her by the shoulder and tossed her out to the open field behind it, only to come up to her and ram her again into the ground, creating a trench of twenty feet.

The lion then grabbed Laura and tossed her high up into the air before catching up and delivered a knee to the stomach, cracking some of her lower ribs, before ax kicking her spine back down. It then activated its lascannons on its wings and fired two red unstable-like beams which made direct contact with her remaining shield energy, shattering parts of her armor. Laura fell on her back hard, shattering more of her armor and bouncing upwards before the lion landed straight on top of her, pinning her down and air leaving her lungs in a flash.

Laura attempted to strike with her right saber but the lion grabbed her arm and jerked it towards its right before tearing it to the left, popping her shoulder out. Laura screamed in pain as the pop was heard from all over. She was now defenseless as the lion stood on top of her and with her other arm pinned, she couldn't do anything. Blood dripped down her face as blinded her right eye as she couldn't see anything now.

The lion looked at her with those fiery purple eyes and in one fell moment that shocked everyone, the lion took a bite Laura's neck.

Laura gave a mighty scream and soon, fear gripped her like a gnarled root as she felt the teeth slowly sink before they made their way through. It was then she felt the teeth of the animal bearing down upon her and her flesh was being penetrated. She tried to use her left arm to get the lion off but it was pinned down too hard. She could only reach out to the people watching from the stands. Blood spilled forth over the arena and Laura screamed "Help. Help me! Help me! HELP ME!"

Those screams however only made the bite sink deeper into her flesh on its second bite, with some blood being splattered out of Laura's mouth. However, a white IS suddenly appeared and ram into the lion in order to get it off of her, followed by a barrage of bullets that hit the lion and made it back off. Charles was deployed in his IS as well as Ichika, with the former in front of the black creature.

"Ichika, get everyone out of here! I'll keep it busy." ordered Charles but by the time he had said so, the lion rammed into him but Charles was able to take flight and continue firing at the animal with her rifles. The lion was on the run from the continuous barrage but then took a leap to the wall before bouncing off of it and tried to hit Charles, only for him to barely get out of the way of the claw's attack. The lion took to the air and activated its lascannons but Charles was barely able to dodge them before the Velvet Nightmares began to fire from the lion, the bullets in the form of red and unstable energy shots. Charles unveiled his shotguns and attempted to get close to shoot at the creature, which was a big risk as he was swiped in the head by one of its claws, giving him somewhat of a mark.

The lion was prepared for another attack as it landed to the ground but something caught Charles' eye on the lion. Blood spilled out of the IS but Charles knows that not one of the bullets fires penetrated into the armor. And yet, blood continued to slowly pour down the front legs of the lion.

Houki, seeing everything from the stands, is paralyzed with fear. Now she had finally understood the meaning of Raiden's story; of how he had lost everything, how he was so lost in darkness, and all that was left in his heart: vengeance. And that this is what vengeance leaves behind; nothing but blood and destruction. All that she could ask to herself was one question;

 _What have you become?_

Ichika, after getting the two unconscious girls to safety, including Laura, rejoined with Charles and swung his blade to the lion.

"Raiden, stop this!" cried Ichika but the lion caught Ichika's head and threw him back against a wall and destroying it.

Ichika got stunned for a brief moment before he looked just in time to see the lion make the jump on him. Ichika got pinned but was able to get his sword out with the blade caught in the lion's mouth to prevent it from biting him. Ichika then got his right foot under the lion and kicked it hard off of him which backed off only for it to charge again.

Ichika charged and swung at the dark creature but its armor proved too hard to penetrate and he was attacked by its claw before having his head caught and slammed into another wall. Ichika spewed blood from his mouth as he could feel his entire body shake from that impact. He was about to get hit by another slash from the lion before it turned its attention to the shooter in the skies that fired a sniper shot at the back of its head.

Charles was bit on the leg by the lion as it leaped up from the wall to grab him. With him in the air and the lion biting his foot, he attempted to withdraw but was only pulled down and slammed hard into the ground. He was then pinned down by the lion as it gave a loud and angry roar. It was ready to bite Charles before it was hit by something deployed by the teachers who had arrived just in time, freeing Charles from the beast's paws, and sending the lion tumbling back before it stopped near an undamaged wall.

An electrical net entangled the black beast and every time it struggled, the net sparked with strong electricity and sent pain into the animal. The teachers in their Rafale-Revive IS who watched with their guns deployed at it were not sure if they successfully contained the deranged animal or just made it angrier.

Chifuyu then came to the bloody arena and ordered "Get medical attention in the infirmary immediately. You can settle your feud in the tournament next week." Laura acknowledged the order while clutching onto her bloody neck and popped arm. Charles limped towards Ichika due to his leg being bit and Ichika walked slowly over to the unconscious Cecilia and Rin to check on them while trying to get his wound together. Houki continued to watch and, having seen blood spill over the arena once more, and not just Raiden's but also that of another victim, shook with fear as she looked over to see the lion contained before leaving to tend to the wounded in the infirmary.

Chifuyu approaches the lion but it only gives an angry snarl and tries to bite and claw back. Still trapped in the net and unable to move due to the electricity, Chifuyu stood over the animal and, taking a great risk, approaches the lion carefully. Despite protests for the other teachers, Chifuyu, with pity and desperation, slowly reaches her hand out to the lion. She had to know that Raiden was still inside there and had to reach out to him, telling him to relax.

The animal continued the snarl and everyone was at the edge of their pants. There was a high chance for the lion to bite Chifuyu's hand off but as she reached towards the animal, she lightly touched its head with her fingertips and, little by little, began to stroke it with more of her hand. After a few moments and seeing that everything is good so far, Chifuyu sat down and took the lion's head into her lap while stroking its fur gently. The lion slowly but surely calmed down as its purple fiery eyes slowly faded. It closed its eyes briefly and were replaced by blue gentle ones. In a flash of light, Raiden emerged, albeit profusely bleeding from all over his body and his IS suit torn apart. Sure enough, Chifuyu's hand that stroked him was soon covered in blood as was the rest of her body. The medical staff had arrived and put Raiden on the stretcher and fed oxygen to him while trying to put pressure on the wounds before evacuating him. Chifuyu merely watched before she looked at the arena and at her own bloody hand, fear taking her over as she came to a horrifying realization.

What was shown here was but a small fraction of what was to come in the near future.

* * *

In the infirmary, everyone was silent. The sun was beginning to set but the sky was filled with red. And red skies are usually an ominous sign.

Charles and Ichika had recovered fairly but Cecilia and Rin were badly wounded from Laura. Houki was present yet held her head low, eyes still wide at what she had saw.

They had just received word that Raiden was taken to a nearby hospital away from the Academy and put into a comatose state as the infirmary did not have enough room or supplies to take care of him, especially for his multiple surgeries that he was about to have. Laura was taken there as well in a separate ambulance for her bite injury and her popped arm but little do they know of what the German girl now feels for the blind boy.

Yamada-sensei then entered the room in order to bring more news. "I'm afraid that Ms. Alcott and Ms. Huang, you will be unable to compete. The damage on your IS has received a Level F and are in need of serious repairs."

Everyone made no response to this. Cecilia and Rin acknowledged the fact that they cannot compete which just leaves Ichika, Charles, and Houki.

"Hey, Yamada-sensei?" asked Ichika.

"Yes?" asked Yamada-sensei.

Ichika took a brief silence remark before he asked "What happened to Raiden?"

Yamada-sensei then took a serious look and explained in detail.

"We do not know exactly, but we may speculate that he had activated his One-Off Ability...unintentionally. From what we have analyzed in the footage, his skills and compatibility reached to heights none of us have ever seen. Or rather, he has reached levels where it would be nearly impossible for any other IS pilot to reach. Not even the strongest IS pilot can match these numbers or endure the stress level at this state. We have simply called it…Feral Mode. Aside from what it just did hours ago, we have no idea what else it can do nor do we know when it will be activated again."

Yamada-sensei then left the infirmary. The room was silent once more for the only thing on their minds was a comatose Raiden and of the dark animal that is currently sleeping within him, waiting to be awakened once more.

Meanwhile, Laura was kept in a separate room in the hospital where, after being bandaged up, had the look of anger upon her face. Hatred for Raiden now burned within her like a star, hatred for what it had done unto her. She looked in the mirror and had only a face full of retribution.

"After I deal with Ichika," Laura said to herself. "I will come after you next, Raiden. You will pay for what you have done!"


	9. Chapter 9: Discover my Mind

**CHAPTER 9**

 **WARNING:** There will be  HENTAI. If you are uncomfortable with it, please skip to the next chapter.

* * *

The match between enemies had come. Ichika Orimura and Charles Dunois against Laura Bodewig and Houki Shinonono, deployed in an Uchigane. Everyone gathered at the arena to watch the competition unfold between them.

"Who would have thought we would face each other in the first round? It spared me the wait." said Laura.

Ichika merely replied "I'm glad to hear that. I feel exactly the same." Ichika then had a face of determination, if not a bit of anger, as he next said "You are going to pay for what you did to Raiden."

Laura could only shrug it off and said "That fool became a sacrificial lamb to save two lives and you believe I should pay the price? Very well. Come join him!" Houki gave herself a slight growl at Laura for saying that since the one boy she truly cared for was now in a coma.

As the timer set off to zero, the match began. Ichika had charged forward but Laura simply put the AIC barrier to halt his advance.

"Launching an attacking after the get-go? You're really easy to understand." said a smirked Laura.

"Glade we agree on something." said Ichika.

Laura's railgun was then pointed towards a trapped Ichika.

Charles jumped over Ichika's head and began firing her sub-machine guns that scattered down like rain. Laura's cannons deviated slightly due to Charles' attacks, and the shots missed. Also, because of Charles' attacks, she had to back away and widen the distance between both of them.

"Don't you run away!"

Charles immediately changed her gun and pointed it forward, summoning an assault rifle on the left hand. Light gathered in the air and formed a gun in less than a second. Charles activated her special skill called Rapid Switch, summoning weapons in battle without calling it out. This could be pulled off due to Charles' skill and decision making.

"Don't forget about me here."

Mobilized in the Uchigane, Houki appeared to block the attack that was aimed at Laura as she deployed a physical shield that was well-suited for a defensive IS, knocking the bullets aside as she hacked at Charles.

"You're the one who forgot about me!"

Being released from Laura's AIC, Ichika immediately accelerated towards Charles from behind. Just when he was about to crash into her, she did a backflip to switch positions with him. This chemistry is all due to the special training.

Houki and Ichika were locked in close-ranged combat as their attacks let out sparks. Ichika continued to use his sword to attack and defend as he increased the power of his thrusters. The accelerated slashes started to push Houki back.

"Ugh! Damn it...!"

Being pushed back, Houki panicked and raised her sword up high. Now's the time!

"Charles!"

"Got it!"

Ichika used both hands to grip the sword tightly and used the Yukihira to knock Houki's attack aside. At this moment, Charles, who was on standby behind him stretched both hands out. She was holding two .62 caliber auto shotguns, and it was impossible to dodge them at this short range.

It was too late for Houki as she went pale, and Charles squeezed the triggers. Suddenly, Houki disappeared right in front of them, and the rain of bullets zoomed past vacuum.

"Don't get in my way!"

Having switched positions with Houki, Laura quickly closed in on Ichika. She used one of the cable guided blades on Houki's leg and used the centrifugal force to toss her to the edge of the arena. It seemed that Houki was able to do an emergency landing through the whip.

"Wh-What are you doing!?"

But Laura wasn't intending to help her partner at all. She just wanted to throw Houki aside, thinking that she's a bother, resulting in Houki pouting in rage. However, Laura herself didn't hear that as she launched the attack at her opponents. She deployed the plasma blades and attacked them from both sides. The mix of slashes and stabs accurately forced them to back away. Laura Bodewig, who would actually say such words, is truly as strong as a monster. Right now, she was engaging in close range combat with Ichika as she held Charles off with the cabled blades to separate her from Ichika. Though she couldn't combat all 6 cabled blades at the same time, she swiftly shot them out and retracted them in fluidly to create a rapid-fire attack.

"Are you alright, Charles?"

"What about you, Ichika? I'll support you now."

"No, it's alright. She's mine."

Charles and Ichika switched to the private frequency to talk for a short while and switched their battle plan to what they originally planned, which was to 'Beat Houki down first'. The reason why they chose this plan was simple—basically, Laura's battle strategy was to go up against many enemies at one go, which she would never expect to fight in group, so she probably wouldn't help Houki.

So, they should beat Houki and attack Laura in a 2 vs 1 situation. Of course, Laura has the ability to take on many machines at one go, but this is where the trap lies. A tag team is formed by having 1 plus 1, but there aren't 2 possibilities.

"Sorry I'm not Ichika." said Charles.

"What...? Don't look down on me!" cried Houki.

Leaving Laura's range, Charles immediately closed in on Houki. Houki didn't understand what was going on, but Charles' taunt certainly made her blood boil. Charles used the close-ranged knife to block Houki's sword, and then, while maintaining the position, she starts to fire the shotgun with her left hand.

"Kuu...!"

The impression that Charles gave was that she's really strong at shooting, but actually, the biggest attribute about this ability is 'flexibility'-and in fact, she won't lose to anyone in combat. Also, with the rapid switch, once the opponent feels that she wants to fight it out with melee style, she can suddenly switch into a gun to shoot, and once the distance is pulled apart, she can close in to close combat range again. She can maintain a certain distance and attack motion whether the opponent's near or far away, and her attacks and defenses are great. This stability is hard to break through.

"So it's a tactic of beating one person? That's meaningless."

Laura most likely never factored Houki in, but this to them was still meaningful. Anyway, his role was to hold off Laura's attacks until Charles beats Houki.

The two plasma blades in her hands and the cabled wires form wave after wave of attacks, and it wasn't easy to deflect them all. Also, once Ichika was not careful, the distance would be pulled apart. So he could only hang on and maintain close proximity.

"You only have that sword as your only weapon, so you can only damage the opponent being in close range, right?"

That was also another reason, right? However, the main reason was because if the distance was pulled apart again, Ichika would become the target of that large caliber railgun, and she had those electric cable-controlled blades. If the distance was pulled apart, Ichika would have to use a lot of time and energy just to get close to her.

Ichika switched the Yukihira Niigata to his right hand and used his left to hold Laura's plasma blade off by grabbing her left hand. His legs were maintaining their position as they continued to operate fully, kicking the cabled blades aside. The movements of the cabled blades were very complicated, he would be scratched if he didn't kick it to the side, so right now, the situation is that 'It will be over if I don't concentrate'.

This was now a zero distance battle, and Ichika didn't know when his concentration would run out as he continued to rely on Charles.

"...Time to end this."

Laura shut the plasma blades off. Not good! Ichika's body froze like ice. Laura's blades were crossed as she raised her hands towards Ichika.

 _Damn it! It's the AIC!_

"Alright—disappear."

Six cabled blades shot out at Ichika.

"Damn!"

It was useless to shout as the cabled wires pierced into his body and took off 1/3 of his IS armor. His shield reserves dropped to nearly half. And Laura's attacks weren't stopping as she used 2 cabled wires to tie his right hand and twist it around a few times, seemingly trying to twist it off and slam him to the ground. Unable to take the impact that pierced through him, his breathing immediately stopped. Just when Ichika thought to get back up again, Laura's large railgun was aimed at him.

"This is the end!"

With a heavy sound, Charles used her shield to block the shot, and then sliced the cabled blade apart to drag Ichika away from the battle zone.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!"

After that, rain-like bullets flew at where Ichika was.

"You saved me there...Thanks Charles!"

"No problems."

"Where's Houki?"

"She's taking a break."

After saying that, Charles turned to look aside, and Ichika turned to look at where she was looking—at the side of the arena, there was an unhappy looking Houki, who was in a severely damaged IS with 0 shields and kneeling on one leg.

"Nice!"

"Say that after we win!"

Charles tossed aside the twin assault rifles in her hands to summon new weapons—they were an auto shotgun and a machine gun.

"Now's the real show."

"Right, let's show her our chemistry!" Ichika activated Reiraku Byakuya and charged at Laura.

"I heard that all the shields will be drained once I touch it...but it's nothing if I don't get hit." said Laura.

Laura's AIC binding attacks continued to assault Ichika. His right hand, left hand, vision, all these continued to be assaulted. He immediately stopped, turned and accelerated, barely dodging them all in the process.

"Running around like that, what an eyesore...!"

She then started to become more vicious in her attacks while striking at Ichika with more cabled blades, but Ichika wasn't fighting alone.

"Ichika! Break through the front at 2 o' clock!"

"Okay!"

"Che...another of your petty tricks!" After zipping through the cabled blades, Laura finally entered his range.

"It's useless, I can predict your attack." said Laura, whose arrogance was starting to show.

"That normal slash's just a start, then-what about this!?" Ichika raise the tip of the sword that was below his foot to chest-level.

"It's useless!"

Ichika's body froze as the AIC net completely stops him.

"I have no need to focus on your hand. As long as I stop you before that-"

"...Ahh, what's wrong, have you forgotten? Don't you know? We're-a tag team!"

Laura frantically moved her eyes in realization, but it was too late. Closing in to zero distance, Charles quickly fired off 6 shotgun bullets, and at the next moment, Laura's large railgun exploded with a loud bang.

"Ku...!"

As what they predicted, Laura's AIC had a fatal flaw. The flaw was that if she didn't focus on the target she wanted to stop, she wouldn't be able to maintain the effect', so right now, Ichika was freed. Then came Charles, who immediately used Ignition Boost to the maximum speed.

"WHAT...! Ignition Boost?!"

For the first time, Laura showed a dumbstruck look. Maybe it was because the data never specified that Charles could use Ignition Boost, and Ichika was shocked as well-because even he didn't know of that.

"Well...this is the first time I'm using it!"

"Wh, WHAT...? Don't tell me you learned it just now!?"

It seems now that Charles' flexibility isn't just a unique attribute, but a skill altogether. Maybe one can even call it a 'one and only unique ability'.

"Humph...But it is no use against my AIC!" Laura said as she switched into the AIC activation mode, however, the one who stopped was-Laura herself.

*BOOM!*

Being attacked somewhere that's unexpected, Laura looks around before seeing Ichika, who's right below her. He's holding the loaded sub machine gun that Charles threw just now. At this point, Laura finally realized that the throwing of the loaded gun just now was Charles and Ichika's double-set plan.

"Now you can't use the AIC!"

"Damn you!"

Laura shouted, but she still didn't lose her cool. She probably would ignore Ichika's inaccurate shooting and focus on Charles. She again aimed the AIC in front.

"But I got a window to attack now."

"So what! With a 2nd Generation Attack Power, trying to take me down is-"

At this moment, Laura suddenly stopped.

That's right. She discovered the strongest weapon amongst the 2nd generation in terms of offensive power. And Charles always had this weapon hidden in her shield.

"I won't miss at this range!"

Charles' shield armor opens, revealing the wheel and pilebunker that was fused together. It's the .69 caliber battering ram, also known as-

"Shield Pierce!?"

For the first time, Laura revealed a panicked expression that showed that she didn't expect to make it.

""OOOOHHHH!""

Both voices overlapped. Charles clenched her left hand to charge forward, and it was a simple forward thrust like what Ichika had just done.

However, what's different is that she even used Ignition Boost to close in, so it was too late to even activate AIC on her. If Laura couldn't stop the battering ram between these few millimeters, she would be hit directly. Laura focused on that target-but missed. In a moment, just for a short moment, Charles showed an angelic smile that looks like a declaration of death, a dazzling yet guilt-ridden smile. The battering ram hit Laura's abdomen. If she concentrated all her shield reserves and activated Absolute Defense, she could block this hit, but as her reserves were almost drained, she couldn't block the impact, and it slammed hard through her body. Laura's face twisted with anguish.

However, the attack was not over. As the shield pierce had a roller function, it could be quickly filled with explosives-in other words, there were multiple shots.

"This is for Raiden!" Charles yelled with each hit she made.

Four consecutive hits. Laura's body trembled terribly. Purple electricity jumped up her frame, forming a forced ejection sign.

But in the next moment, another change occurred as Laura delved deep into her own thoughts.

 _To think that I...would actually lose here, me! But even so-I CAN'T LOSE! HOW CAN I LOSE...!_

* * *

 _Laura Bodewig. This is my name. A code to identify myself. My earliest codename was Gene Perfection Experiment C—0037._

 _I was created through artificial human means, born out of a metal womb. I was created, born, bred and trained to fight. That's my only objective. I only know how to attack humans. I only understand tactics on how to defeat the enemy. I learnt to fight, use guns and remember how to use weapons. I was outstanding, and in terms of capabilities, I always had the best records._

 _But at that time, as the strongest weapon, the IS appeared, and my world suddenly changed. The operation to implant the Odin's Eye into me in order caused a drastic change._ _The actual term of Odin's Eye should be a hyper-sensor package, and what it does is that it can heighten nerve processing to the brain at an explosive speed. The aim is to react quickly in a hi-speed combat. The operation was supposed to transplant the nanomachines into my eyes, and those eyes that went through this operation are called the 'Eyes that Surpasses the World'._ _There were no risks with the operation, and logically, there wouldn't be a rejection—logically. However, this operation caused my left eye to turn gold, and I couldn't control it. It couldn't shut down on its own, it was always activated._

 _This 'Accident' caused me to deteriorate amongst my peers in IS training. I don't know when I fell from the top position. What awaited me were the mockeries and humiliations of my peers, and the mark of 'Trash'._ _My world changed—I went from infinite darkness to even more darkness. And the first time I met the light, it was when I met the instructor—Orimura Chifuyu._

 _"Though you look like your grades are bad, there's nothing much to worry. In a month from now, you should be able to get back to being the strongest in your squad. You're going to be trained by me after all."_

 _Those words weren't a lie. Though I just obeyed that person's training honestly, I managed to get back to the top after I started learning IS. However, I couldn't stay in the same situation. I didn't care about my peers who drifted away from me._ _I continued to admire that person greatly. Strong, courageous, indomitable. Seeing her like that made me anxious._

 _"Ah, I really want to be like this, I really want to be like her."_

 _With these emotions, I would talk to her when I had the time before she went back to her own country half a year ago. No, it's alright even if we don't say anything. As long as I could stay with her and stare at her figure, I can feel strength coming out from within. It's somewhat a feeling of 'Courage'. Maybe that's because she had such power._

 _One day, I tried to ask,_

 _"How did you become this strong? What must I do to become this strong?"_

 _At that time—ah, it's at that time...that person, that instructor who was as strict as the devil showed a gentle smile. For some reason, it felt like my heart got punctured through by a needle._

 _"I have a little brother."_

 _"A little brother...?"_

 _"Once you see him, you'll understand, and what's more than strength."_

 _"...I don't understand."_

 _"It's good that you remain like that. If you have a chance to come to Japan one day, maybe you can meet him...but let me give you a warning. That person—"_

 _A gentle smile, a fearful expression. That's—That's not right. That wasn't what I envisioned you—Strong, courageous, indomitable, that's you. So—I won't forgive the person who made instructor show this expression. I can't agree with the existence of this little brother who made instructor like this._

 _So—I must defeat him! USE my own power to beat this fool, that imbecile...INTO DUST! That's why, I can't lose here! That guy, that bastard's...still moving. I must thoroughly break him until he can't move! That's right! So—I WANT POWER! Power to crush him for his existence, and power to destroy the one who got away._

Then, someone rumbled deep inside her and it spoke.

 _"Do you wish for it...? Do you, wish for a change within yourself...? Do you want a stronger power...?"_

" _Of course. If I have power, if I can get it—I'll even pay for it with this hollow existence! So give it to me...give me the invincible, strongest, absolute power!"_

 _Damage Level...D_

 _Mind Condition...Uplift_

 _Certification...Clear_

 _Valkyrie Trace System...boot._

* * *

"AAAHHHHHHH!"

It seemed that Laura just got ripped by something as she let out a scream. At the same time, Schwarzer Regen let out a strong electrical jolt and knocked Charles off.

"Ugh! What's going on...-!"

"WHAT'S THAT!?"

Charles and Ichika couldn't believe their eyes. In front of them, Laura...her IS was changing!

No, it wasn't that simple to say that it was changing. The lines that formed the armor were melting softly into something soft and sticky, engulfing Laura's body in it. The pitch black corroded darkness swallowed Laura in whole.

"What _is_ that thing..."

Ichika subconsciously muttered. Anyone else who saw this would think the same thing.

Normally, IS won't change shapes, or more accurately, it can't. IS could only change shape 'In the first shift when it gets used to the pilot' and 'Switches Modes'. Though the equipment and some other parts may change slightly, it was impossible to have a base change. Anyway, that was just impossible. That's a flaw on the design.

However, the impossible thing was happening in front of them right now. And this wasn't just a change in shape, but a mud doll that was shaped through the fusing of the sticky mass.

What was supposed to be Schwarzer Regen covered Laura's entire body and continued to move on the surface. It then started to beat like it had a pulse and slowly descended to the floor. The moment it landed on the floor, the body looked like it was quickly changing at a high speed before forming a shape. Standing over there was 'something' similar to the black IS, but it was completely different from the one that attacked last month. The appearance and shape was of Laura's shape. The girl's hands and feet were armed with the minimum amount of armor, and the head had armor that covered the entire body. Also, the red lights of the display sensors could be seen from the eye below the armor.

The problem, however, was the weapon in her hand. Ichika definitely couldn't be mistaken. That's—

"Yukihira?!"

It was similar to the sword Chifuyu once used. It was basically a duplicate. Ichika subconsciously gripped onto the Yukihira and raised it to the middle.

The next moment, the black IS flew towards him. Looking at the way it was keeping the sword behind its waist, she must be trying to use an Iai technique. If it used it at a distance where he'd definitely be hit, it'd be a flash sure-kill hit.

 _That was definitely the katana technique that Chifuyu-nee uses._

The Yukihira Niigata that Ichika was holding tight on was knocked away, and the enemy raised the sword up. The sharp slash that was swung down straight on assaulted him, and Ichika couldn't receive it with his sword at the last minute. At that moment, Ichika immediately ordered Byakushiki to 'back away'.

It was because Ichika knew how Chifuyu fought that he was barely able to dodge it. However, Byakushiki's shield reserves had already dropped to 0, and the left hand only got a little grazed, yet there was blood flowing out. That emergency evasion took out the last of him, and Byakushiki disappeared from him in a glow of light. But right now, it didn't matter to him. Driven by burning emotions, Ichika clenched his fists as his weapons and rushed towards the black IS.

"You son of a bitch!"

Just as his fists nearly hit the black IS, his body got dragged away in the opposite direction. Once he felt the impact on his back, Ichika realized that the one who pulled him was Houki.

"Idiot! What are you doing?! Do you want to die?"

"LET GO OF ME! That fake is just toying with me! Let me go!"

That technique just now was the first technique Ichika learned from Chifuyu, and he can still remember the first time he saw it.

 _"Listen Ichika, a sword is to be swung, but just trying to swing it isn't kendo.''_

 _To Ichika, who lifted that heavy piece of metal item for the first time, the weight alone made it hard for me to carry it. He was already sweating while it was on his hand, and he couldn't even lift it because of the weight even though he tried to make a pose._

 _"It's heavy, isn't it? This is the weight of a weapon, one that can take someone's life away."_

 _The cold and slightly glittering katana._ _An existence that was born, created and refined to kill._

 _"You have to consider what does it means to carry such a weight. This is what it means to be strong."_

 _When she said that, Chifuyu's eyes were stern, yet it had a tinge of gentleness. It looked somewhat dazzling, an expression that was different from usual._

That was why Ichika chose to become strong, to become Chifuyu's supporting power...that's right, ever since that day, Ichika always—

"Let go of me, Houki! Just let me—!"

"GET A GRIP!"

Ichika's face got hit from a slap, and he landed horizontally on the floor. His face felt the pain as it touched the floor, causing his rage to drop.

"What's going on!? Tell me in a way that I can understand!"

"That...that's Chifuyu-nee's data, CHIFUYU-NEE'S! That's something that only Chifuyu-nee has! That...DAMN IT!"

The black IS remained motionless in the arena. Right now, it seemed like it was automatically programmed to attack anything that had weapons or that would attack.

"Really, you...always Chifuyu-nee this Chifuyu-nee that. What is it about her that makes you want to do this?!"

"That's not all! The corrupted power that Laura's using, I don't like her for doing that. The black IS, Laura...both of them...I have to stop this!"

Power—this so-called strength wasn't referring to offensive power. That power couldn't be called strength, but mere violence.

"Anyway, I must beat that thing up. I need to calm down first."

"I understand your reasons, but what can you do now? Byakushiki doesn't even have any energy; how are you going to fight?"

Houki was right. It was likely that the black IS didn't have much energy left, but right now Byakushiki didn't even have enough energy to deploy, let alone attack.

"Urgent emergency! All matches are suspended! Situation's at level D. Teachers are to deploy to suppress the enemy! All guests and students, please evacuate! I repeat!"

"You heard it. Others will handle this even if you don't do anything, so—"

"So there's no need to jump into a dangerous situation necessarily, right?"

"That's right."

Houki was right, but even though that reasoning was sound, Ichika's consciousness still refused it.

"That's wrong, Houki, completely wrong. It's not that 'I have to do it', but 'I want to do it'. I don't care what others think, but I won't be me if I back away now. I won't be Orimura Ichika!"

"Ah, you idiot! Now what are you going to do? You already ran out of ene—"

"If you don't have it, just get it from somewhere else. Isn't that right, Ichika?"

"Charles..."

Charles seemed to have recovered from the jolt just now as she gently landed beside them. "It can't be helped if it's just a normal IS, but I guess my Revive can use the core circuits to transfer energy."

"Really? Thanks, hurry up and help me!"

"Then let's start...opening the Revive's core circuits and allow the outflow of energy. Ichika, set the Byakushiki's mode at single 1 mode. You should be able to use Reiraku Byakuya now."

"Oh, got it."

The cables reached out of the Revive and attached themselves to Byakushiki, which was in bracelet mode, and the energy flowed through it. It felt like a sudden surge in energy. Ichika felt this power as he had an explicable feeling. It seemed like Ichika hadn't had this feeling for a long time, and there was an inexplicable sense of reunion and nostalgia, and the feeling that the world was reborn, this feeling of being able to feel the surroundings completely.

"Done! I transferred Revive's remaining power to you."

As Charles declared, Revive scattered into bits of light and disappeared in particles of light. And Byakushiki, which was in single 1 mode, began to build itself on the body.

"So the most you can go is the weapon on your right hand."

"That's more than enough!"

Byakushiki understood that it was about to use Reiraku Byakuya as it materialized itself on his right hand in the form of Yukihira Niigata. No defenses, a definite loss if he got hit, and at best, heavy injuries. However, Ichika was prepared to be hit, and next, it's his turn.

Ichika faced the opponent in front of him. He glanced at Charles, and she didn't say anything, only nodded her head silently.

"All right, bring it, you bastard, because this one is going to be for me, for Chifuyu-nee, and for Raiden! Reiraku Byakuya—activate!"

The blade that could erase all energy sources and negate it appeared with twice the length. It doesn't have to be this big now. What Ichika needs is speed and sharpness, and to be able to draw the sword fast. A refined blade. Ichika gathered his concentration and imagined a shot of light in the darkness. It then became smaller, fine and sharper. Once this concentration was at the maximum, Yukihira changed. What was just a Yukihira Niigata that was giving a large glow was now becoming smaller and sharper.

The moment the transformation was complete, the original physical blade of the Yukihira was completely gone. The blade was just an energy sword that was made out of the Reiraku Byakuya, and the energy was forming a katana-shaped blade. Ichika kept the blade at his waist and got into a sword drawing position in front of the black IS. That was a fusion of what Chifuyu taught him and what he learnt from Houki, the 'First Flash, Second Strike' move.

 _"Listen, you must draw the blade through its weight, not through your hand, but to be treated as a part of your body. When drawing, don't do too many unnecessary movements. No gaps, no mistakes."_

 _"Ah, really, why don't you understand! I'll show it to you! Watch!"_

Both of their postures overlap in his mind, forming his own posture. Ichika lowered his body and readied himself, bringing the hand with the sword behind him. His eyes continued to gaze forward, and a motionless surface of water appeared in his heart. Then, while it seemed that he could respond to all the movements, Ichika sealed his feelings, that consciousness into a single spot, right at the enemy in front of him.

The black IS swung down the sword. That was a move identical to Chifuyu's, a slash that quickly attacked the enemy from the shoulder on one side to the waist to the other side. However, there was none of Chifuyu's will there. In other words, that's—

"THAT'S JUST AN IMITATION!"

Then, Ichika's immediately raised the sword above his head and slashed the enemy down from the top. This is the 'First Flash, Second Strike'. The first is to strike like a flash, and the other is to slash the target.

Purple electricity jumped about, and the black IS got sliced in half, releasing Laura from her captivity. And the moment Laura was about to lose consciousness, Ichika exchanged looks with her. Her eyepatch dropped off, revealing the golden left eye before falling unconscious.

* * *

In her subconscious, Laura could only float within the void. She had just been released and yet, even with all that power, she could not defeat the man she truly hated.

Hate. It's a strong emotion but it leaves no purpose, no goal to follow. What is there to hate? Moreover, what is hatred?

"Why?" asked Laura. "Why are you so strong? Why do you pursue strength?"

"I am not." answered Ichika. "I'm not strong at all. No one is. If I'm strong, then it's because I want to become strong. There's a thing I want to try when I become strong."

"Something you want to try?" asked Laura.

"I want to protect someone. I want to fight for someone else, giving everything I have."

" _That's just like her…"_ Laura thought to herself. She realized that Ichika was no different than Chifuyu for one fact: they both want to protect the people they care for.

"Yeah." Ichika's image then came before her and said,

"So, I'll protect you too…Laura Bodewig."

* * *

Laura had woken up and already it was sunset. The skies were but orange but that will soon give way to darkness. She was not wearing her eyepatch yet found it next to her on the table.

"Where am I?" asked Laura.

"You seem to be awake." said a familiar voice to her left. Laura looked over and saw Chifuyu next to her. "Your entire body took too much burden, causing wounds and muscle fatigue. You can't move at the moment. Don't force yourself."

Ichika could only agree to the situation at hand. She couldn't really move much and all she could do was turn her head left or right.

"The Valkyrie Trance System." said Chifuyu which caught Laura's attention. "To think you could sneak an illegal program like that in your IS through the scanners. The pilot's mental state, the damage the machine took, and most importantly, the pilot's will...no, the desire. It can only activate with all these conditions."

On hearing Chifuyu's words, Laura grabbed tightly onto the bedsheets. For some reason, she looked down at the void below her eyes.

"Laura Bodewig. Who are you?" This caught Laura's attention to which she lost the words to express to answer this simple yet complex question.

"If you are no one, that's convenient." said Chifuyu. "You will become Laura Bodewig from now on. Besides, there's a lot of time, since you have to stay here. After that, you still have a lot of time to use, so continue to be bothered, young lady."

Laura stayed silent. It was then Chifuyu gave her advice on becoming this young lady. "Your first step is to apologize to the one you killed."

Laura suddenly gasped. She could remember clearly in a flashback about Raiden coming between her blade and being mortally hit as she held no emotion behind it. Immediately, she regretted it and held the blanket sheets and pain filled her heart. But that was soon to be relieved.

"Don't worry. He's still alive and has just woken up. In fact, he's right here."

Raiden then appeared and, much to Laura's surprise, he held a gentle smile, almost as if what had happened to him never really did happen. Chifuyu then got up to leave before she said,

"Oh, and also…You cannot be me."

As Chifuyu walked out, the only ones left were Raiden and Laura. Silence only filled the air as the two could only stare each other as Raiden took a seat next to her bed.

"So…" said Raiden. "I think we both need to speak about our pasts."

"Huh?" asked a confused Laura. "What's there to learn?"

Raiden took a long sigh and said "I suppose we both have been victims of an unfortunate fate." Raiden could only chuckle at that remark before he said, "It's funny how one thing can change you entirely. Opening your eyes to new truths that people have yet to learn, or have learned but refused to accept it."

Raiden then continued saying, "Your fellow soldier that I killed years ago is but one of many deaths that still haunts me to this day, along with all the other victims that I have killed."

"Can you really justify it with regret?" asked Laura.

"No." Raiden immediately answered. "Because eventually, the ghosts will come to haunt me back and ask why I did what I did. And even if I provided with a reason, that doesn't necessarily mean I am forgiven. It takes more than just forgiveness and regret to wash away stains that cannot be washed at all."

Laura then acknowledged the statement understandably and said "But I still can't forgive you for what you did."

"I'm not asking for one." said Raiden, surprising Laura for a little bit.

"What?"

Raiden could only say with melancholy "I've killed far too many people in a lifetime and the only road I am destined for is Hell itself. Killing me will not avenge everyone as there are others out there who want me dead as well."

"What are you trying to imply?" asked Laura.

"I'm not implying anything." explained Raiden. "I'm simply stating that until I have my revenge on those who wronged me, then you may kill me. But until then, save your strength. You will need it in the battles to come."

Laura couldn't understand but was wise enough not to prone in on the subject. She then gave a nod.

"Very well." said Laura. "To think that I would attend the same school where my hunt is."

"Well, everyone needs a hobby these days." said Raiden.

Laura then asked "So what is yours, Alpha?"

Raiden, without hesitation, answered "Vengeance…"

Laura then understood what he meant. She knew revenge as well but whereas she took it the wrong way, Raiden was able to maintain his and continue his search.

"You at least have my respect for you…lieutenant."

"As I do to you…captain." said Raiden. He then left the infirmary and met up with Ichika and Charles, who got surprised of their return before hearing a stampede of girls rushing towards Raiden; making the three boys run.

* * *

"And so, the tournament was canceled afterwards." said Charles. The three boys had sat together eating their dinner. Ichika had some ramen, Charles was eating some pasta, and Raiden was drinking a small bottle of sake.

"But they do want everyone's individual data, so they'll complete the first round." continued Charles.

"I see." said Ichika. The boys' attention was soon caught to the three gossipers spying on them.

"Our chance to win the tournament is gone."

"No more chance for the date."

The three girls only cried as they left in despair at their chances now gone. To the right of them stood Houki, which Raiden remembered the promise.

"Houki?" said Ichika. He was about to get up before being pulled back down by Raiden as he got up and walked over to her.

Houki immediately began to blush yet also had a worrisome expression on her face. She hadn't seen the blind boy since he was taken into the hospital and was in a coma but now that he was awake and walking, she only stood with defeat. She didn't win the tournament as hoped for and Raiden quickly understood. But before he said anything, Houki asked in concern,

"R-Raiden. I-I-I didn't think you would be back. How are your injuries?"

Raiden could only smile and say "I got myself a new scar. Bigger than the one on my shoulder."

"Oh." Houki blushed at that thought since she had seen Raiden's body only once. Immediately however, she could only feel sadness. She was still haunted by what happened to Raiden and of the dark form he took but here she saw standing was a young adult man with a smile.

"I know the tournament was canceled and you were subsequently defeated." said Raiden, which made Houki hung her head in shame and embarrassment. But the next words she heard were of big shock.

"But I'm still willing to go out with you if that is alright." Raiden said with a smile. Houki shot up and, in excitement and clasping her hands together, asked "Really? You really mean it?!"

Raiden nodded as Houki regained her composure and asked, "Why? Let's hear your reason."

Raiden got slightly confused before responding "I keep my promises, do I not? Either way, I would want to go out with you."

Houki could only blush yet could not contain her excitement.

"Let's meet this weekend on the train. In the afternoon." She said.

"Perfect." said Raiden. Houki then left yet had a big smile on her face. Now she had to figure out what to do on their date.

Raiden merely smiled before giving a small light chuckle before he returned to the table. Ichika then asked,

"What was that about?"

Raiden turned slightly to see Houki walk away in joy before turning back and said "Don't ask."

"Orimura-kun. Dunois-kun. Hataru-kun. I bring good news!" said Yamada-sensei as she entered the cafeteria to meet the boys.

"The place that lets you wash away all your worries has finally opened today!"

"The place?" asked Charles.

"What she means to say is that the men's bathhouse is open." clarified Raiden. Yamada-sensei could only stand there in surprise, thinking if she knew what Raiden was thinking.

"What do you say, Charles? Shall we go there?" asked Ichika.

"Oh. Um…Sure. Let's." said Charles. Ichika then turned to Raiden and asked the same.

"Raiden?"

"No thanks. I'll be taking a shower instead in my dorm room. I've got a lot on my mind. It's a bit shaky when you wake up from a coma." said Raiden which were fair enough to the two boys. Charles could only look back in concern but Raiden reassures her by petting her head. Raiden then whispered in her ear quietly enough for Ichika and Yamada-sensei not to hear.

"It's your choice whether to reveal your true self or not. Either way, I will support you to the end." Charles could only smile, her heart reassured if not blushing a little for Raiden.

* * *

Raiden had entered into his room and, after taking his clothes off, decides to have a shower. He looked briefly in the mirror to see a scar on his left shoulder from the Golem IS. The scar was still new yet was starting to fade. But the biggest one was the huge mark on his chest that was the result of Laura's saber. It looked like a drawing of the sun that any kid would draw but still reddish purple and still fresh. He traced his fingers all over it, wondering how someone such as him could have survived such a mortal wound. It clearly went through his chest and passed his heart, when he saw the x-rays, his heart was still there and not damaged, able to pump blood normally.

With the hot water running, Raiden constantly washes himself without the soap or shampoo. He then leads forward until his hands come into contact with the wall while his head remains low. Questions invaded his mind, dark thoughts of what he had done to Laura and the result of his incident. He had seen the creature that was living inside of him and how that creature will be with him for the rest of his life. Sleeping…until it awakes once more.

 _What am I?_ thought Raiden. _Who am I? Have I become…a monster?_

Raiden looks at his right hand and, to himself, sees the illusion of blood that is not being washed off. It probably never will given that he almost killed someone and that he had no control over it.

 _Perhaps, I should not be a pilot anymore._ thought Raiden.

"How long are you going to waste the water?" asked a curious female voice. Raiden turned and saw Tatenashi, naked except with a towel around herself and keeping a smile. As soon as Raiden looked, the bluenette girl smirked further.

"Ara. Are you thinking of naughty things about me? Perhaps liking what you see in front of you?"

Raiden turned back to the shower and said "If that is your way of wanting to join me in the shower, then I don't mind." Tatenashi pouted for the moment but caught onto some of the melancholy in Raiden's voice.

As she enters the shower and takes her towel off, she hugs Raiden from behind and allows the hot water to rain down upon them. Raiden feels her breasts press against his back, earning him a small, faint blush. The two then take a seat on the shower floor with Tatenashi still hugging him from behind and stroking his arm in comfort.

"Are you okay?" asked the girl.

"What do you think?" asked Raiden.

"I saw the footage of what had happened." said Tatenashi as she moved around in front of Raiden. She kept stroking his right arm for comfort. "Raiden…" The blind boy looks up at her and yet, even with the blindfold on, he had the eyes of regret, of pain, and of sorrow.

"I am so sorry." said Tatenashi. Raiden was a little surprised at this statement and asked "For what? You do not need to apologize for anything."

"It's not that." explained the blunette. "I just could not have predicted this happening. What you did was reckless. You could've been killed had it not been for that."

"I'm already dead, Tatenashi." said Raiden as his head hung low, unable to look at Tatenashi's eyes. "I've been that way for eight years. All I have left is my revenge. You wouldn't understand, which is why I want to protect the people I care for, including you. I can't bear to lose any more than I already have. I'm not strong enough."

Tatenashi uses her hands to grasp Raiden's cheek lightly to make him face her. "If you want to protect us, then let us protect you. I don't want to lose you anymore than what has already happened either." Tatenashi then hugs Raiden with her face on his chest. Raiden, surprised, instinctively hugs her back gently. "Please, don't do that again. It hurts and I'm not the only one to feel that way."

Tatenashi then looks up to Raiden and, slowly but surely, gives him a chaste kiss of comfort on the cheek. The two cuddle on the shower floor with the water still running as it rained down upon them. And yet to Raiden, he felt at peace, like a warmth that quelled his fears and calmed down his beating heart, giving him a smile.

"You know…" said Raiden which Tatenashi looked up. "I like you better without your fan." said Raiden as he slowly but affectionately nuzzled Tatenashi. The blunette girl replied, with a light blush on her cheeks yet having a seductive urge "I feel naked without it." Tatenashi then gives a passionate intimate kiss to Raiden to which the blind boy responded back.

The two continued to kiss as they slowly stood up. Tatenashi had her arms around the blind boy's neck as she deepened and plunged her tongue into his mouth. Raiden, now surrendering to his desires, began to knead Tatenashi's left breast with his right hand. Tatenashi had to break from the kiss and gave a moan while Raiden purred and kissed at the crook of her neck. He gave the noises and urges of a lion as Tatenashi continued to moan from her breast being kneaded before her buttocks were being groped as well, making her moan louder. For the first time of her life, she had engaged in something she had never experienced but found it pleasurable and intoxicating as well. Raiden was both sucking on her breasts and groping her buttocks with Tatenashi moaning louder and louder. Her voice increased as Raiden lowered herself more and more before he hit her weak spot and proceeded to consume it, combined with the hot water falling on her. It was then that she moaned her loudest as she hit her climax.

She felt her essence spray out of her yet it felt like the life of her drain. Raiden came back up, kissing her along the way, before he met her lips with his. She tasted her own essence which was sweet yet bitter and it filled her with such ecstasy. But this was just the beginning for her...

In retaliation for what Raiden did to her private lower front, Tatenashi flipped herself over and kissed Raiden intimately and deeply as her tongue invaded his mouth with reckless abandon. She then proceeded to kiss his jaw, neck, and chest slowly before lowering herself down and down to her goal. With her left hand, she grabbed Raiden's rod and massaged it up and down, with Raiden giving off grunts here and there before she met face to face with it as it stood out. She licked it a few times slowly and gently while also sucking on the two orbs below before she took the whole rod into her mouth.

Raiden was surprised and that would be the obvious way to say it. Tatenashi literally took him into her own mouth and continued to bring her mouth up and down on it slowly and gently before increasing her speed. This made Raiden grunt louder and louder in the process and gave into his urges as he pushed himself and Tatenashi off the wall before he grabbed her hair gently and proceeded to go deeper into her. Tatenashi, surprised at his move, whimpered yet did not protest back, even as tears began to form from the size of his manhood plunging down inside of her throat. She brought her arms around Raiden's behind to keep him secured as he continued to thrust in and out of Tatenashi's mouth while she went along with his rhythm of moving her mouth up and down.

Then, Raiden gave in and released his essence down Tatenashi's throat, filling up her stomach. The taste of him from Tatenashi's perspective was sweet yet a tiny bit bitter. And yet, she continued to have it deep into her mouth before she let it go, a small puddle of it staying on her tongue before she swallowed it. A strand of it flew out from Raiden and landed on her face while the rest she mostly swallowed trickled down the left side of her mouth. She looked up with a lustful smile and knew that both she and Raiden wanted more.

It was then that Raiden was pushed to a wall with Tatenashi before he retaliated turning her over. After kneading her breast for a short while and kissing her more and more, battling her tongue, he took his left hand and lifted her right leg up to him. Tatenashi could feel something near herself and wanted more, as did Raiden. They gave another deep kiss before Raiden decided to enter inside of her. He took it slowly yet effectively as Tatenashi moaned greatly with the rod now beginning to enter inside of her.

Tatenashi struggled at first since it was bigger than she thought but started to get used to it as soon as it was completely inside of her from tip to base. The two had become one on this night and continued their love-making as their moans were the only voices heard in the bathroom. At least no one from outside would ever hear this or there would be liability issues. While Raiden continued to pump and knead her breast, Tatenashi had grabbed firmly on Raiden's head and plunged into a deep kiss with him, their tongues battling each other and saliva spilling freely from their mouths. She wrapped her right leg around Raiden's behind and prevented him from leaving, prompting the lion to pump her harder and faster. She screamed and moaned from this and demanded more and more as the pleasure overwhelmed her senses.

At the height of their climax, they gave in and Raiden pumped up his hardest, his entire shaft inside of Tatenashi as he released all of his essence into her, some of it overflowing in the process and spilling on the shower floor. The two gasped and panted a lot as they collapsed to the shower floor before Raiden used the last ounce of his strength to turn off the shower as the water had been running for too long now and it was getting too hot. Tatenashi then cuddled up to Raiden as he leaned down to a corner of the shower wall and embraced her close. After a silent moment of recovery from their ordeal, Tatenashi spoke up.

"Well…that was unexpected." said Tatenashi. Raiden chuckled and asked "Was it worth it?"

Tatenashi, with a smile, responds "Most definitely." She then kisses Raiden deeply before clutching onto him as Raiden does the same but not until he turns on the fan to get all the hot air out of the shower. Their fingers were interlocked and Tatenashi whispered only two words.

"Thank you."

The kitten and the lion soon fell asleep, naked and wet in the shower. If there was one way to work off stress, this was it.

* * *

Class today was only filled with awkwardness as Yamada-sensei looked on with fear and embarrassment. Raiden was sitting in his usual seat behind Ichika. Good thing Chifuyu was not here to see this.

"T-Today we have a new student here. Yes…" Yamada-sensei said as she stuttered and drifted at the end of the sentence. In front of everyone and with a holographic board lit up from behind, it said Charlotte Dunois.

Wait…Charlotte?

"Hello everyone, I'm Charlotte Dunois. Pleased to make your acquaintance once again." Charlotte said standing and giving a smile.

"So, Charles Dunois was actually a girl named Charlotte Dunois." said one girl. Houki could only say one word to herself.

"What?"

The classroom erupts into conversations about how they thought the whole thing was weird and trying to understand the situation at hand. One girl even asked,

"Wait a moment. Didn't the boys use the bathhouse last night?"

Ichika became shocked and froze on spot while Raiden was indifferent. Thank goodness he went to his own room for a shower. The door to the classroom was suddenly barged in and in came Rin deployed in her IS.

"Ichika!" said Rin as she charged her Shock Cannons and ready to fire at the poor boy. Ichika turned to Raiden for help but the blind boy merely gave a mocking "I don't know" pose.

Ichika didn't want this and, the idiot that he is, didn't even bother to dodge from the shots of the shock cannon but for some reason, they didn't hit him.

"Huh? I'm not dead yet?" asked Ichika with his eyes closed.

"No, you're not dead." said Raiden. "Open your eyes."

Ichika did as told and saw a familiar black IS with an AIC deployed. Laura had arrived and saved Ichika.

"Laura." said Ichika as the German deactivated her AIC and turned around. "You saved me. Thank you so-" But in that moment, Laura leaned fast into Ichika and met his lips with hers.

The entire class gawked and their jaws literally dropped to the floor. Raiden however, thinking of it to be a smart move, turned away and covered himself right as Laura had kissed Ichika. The kiss held on for a few seconds before the two separated and Raiden was able to look forward but the image still hung fresh in his mind, making his jaw slightly ajar. Laura then made a declaration.

"Y…You'll be my wife! This is final. I won't hear any objections."

The entire class erupted in a loud and collective "What," Ichika included. Raiden meanwhile, gave a sigh and merely face-palmed himself in disappointment.

 _Sigh. The day just never ends does it?_


	10. Chapter 10: Ocean's Eleven!

**CHAPTER 10**

In a secret location, far from the eyes of the world, Tabane Shinonono typed vigorously on her computer. The purple haired rabbit, ever keeping that dorky smile, then heard her cell phone on her left begin to play a familiar ringtone, making her mechanical bunny ears perk up. On it was Houki, her little sister.

"Th-This ringtone is…" Tabane answered the phone and in an annoying and child-like response, said, "Yo, yo, hey, hey! 'Sup! This is everyone's idol, Tabane Shinonono."

Houki could only have a huge cross pop-vein on her head as she took the phone away from her ear, intent on ending the call. This was a bad idea to begin with!

"Wait, wait! Don't hang up on me, Houki-chan!"

Houki brought the phone back to her ear. "Nee-san."

"Hello, hello, my sister. Yes, yes, I know what you want! You want your own personal IS, right?"

Houki could only gasp at that response. It was exactly why she called, yet for Tabane to be aware of it…Perhaps it was a good idea to call.

Tabane turned around and said "It's got the best of everything and beats everyone else's specs. And it looks good next to the white."

"Nee-san, about that…" Houki said which caught Tabane's attention. Houki then took a long deep breath and asked "Is it possible for it to be matched to something else?"

Tabane could only tilt in confusion. "Ohh? And what's wrong? You don't want a personal IS? But I worked so hard on it for you! GASP! Could this mean my little sister not want my precious gift?! Waaaahhh!"

"NEE-SAN!" Houki yelled into the phone.

Tabane then asked "If not the white one, then who?"

Houki answered "I want it to be matched to the Lion Heart and its pilot."

Tabane could only widen her eyes at the mere mention of that name. Lion Heart was the one IS that she was not allowed to take part in its construction, especially among its IS core. And no matter how much information she could try to get about this particular IS, all she could come up with was nothing. Not even her splendid hacking skills could get her the information she needed.

Tabane sighed and said "Houki-chan, I don't have any data on that IS." Houki on the other side could sigh in defeat until she heard,

"But I'll do what I can. I hope you know what you're asking for."

Houki had ended the call and merely looked up at the night sky with hope in her heart.

* * *

The sun that frantically tried to enter the room passed through the window, and the chirping of the sparrows seemed like they were prompting Ichika to get up. Unfortunately, even though it was morning, Ichika was still tired and had a long day yesterday.

Unfortunately, he could not sleep as he felt something pressing hard against him. What was more is that what he was feeling around his palm was like the skin of a human being. That feeling intensified when something snake-like wrapped around his leg.

"What the…" He immediately shot up in panic before he saw the blanket rustle.

Ichika looked under the blanket to see a certain silver haired girl with an eyepatch sleeping. What's more is that she was naked. Ichika immediately screamed at this, prompting Raiden to wake up one floor above him.

"The hell was that?" asked Raiden as he sat up; only to find a naked Tatenashi with him in bed to which he wasn't surprised. He immediately fell back asleep.

Ichika could only sit in fear and panic as Laura sat up and rubbed her one eye to wake up. The only thing wrapped around her was the blanket.

"Morning already?"

"When did you get here?" asked Ichika. Just as he said it though, the blanket fell off of Laura yet she didn't feel ashamed of her naked body in front of Ichika. The poor boy could only shut his eyes. "Hey, cover yourself up!"

"I heard married couples don't hide anything from each other. Besides, you're my bride."

"What's gotten into you?!"

"I heard the Japanese refer to people they like as 'my bride.'"

Ichika could only shakily point his finger at the German girl and asked "Who's the one giving you incorrect information?"

Laura however grabbed Ichika's pointed arm and pinned him down onto the bed. She then used her legs to trap Ichika in an arm bar, making him yell in pain.

"You really need to practice on your mat technique some more. If you need lessons on the mat, I can help you."

"Why are you blushing?" asked a struggling Ichika.

A few knocks were then heard from the door.

"Ichika, wake up. You're late for training."

Houki entered into the door in her Kendo uniform while carrying a shinai upon her shoulders. However, as she entered the room, what she saw completely made her frozen as she unconsciously dropped her shinai and only stuttered.

Ichika could only look with an expression of dread while Laura remained indifferent as she nonchalantly said,

"How rude of you. You should know better than to barge into a couple's room."

"Couple?!" Houki was now on fire and that fire only increased with her rage.

"W-Wait, Houki!" cried a frantic Ichika. "This is all a misunderstanding. It's—"

Houki completely ignored it and, picking up her shinai, raised it high and charged at the defenseless boy.

"HOW…HOW INDECENT!"

Ichika screamed as he was constantly beaten by the shinai from Houki. Those screams made Raiden wake up a second time, asking the same damn question.

"The hell was that?!"

* * *

"Sigh. What a terrible way to start the morning." said Ichika. He was currently on the train with Charlotte as they made their way out to the shopping district.

"Um…why did you invite only me?" asked a curious Charlotte.

"The beach class is coming up, right? You said you don't have a girl's swimwear. And I don't have swim trunks either. I was planning on buying one for myself, too, so I thought about it while you were at it."

Charlotte could only give a somber look as a depressing aura surrounded her.

 _While you were at it, huh?_

"It's what I would have guessed, anyway." said Charlotte as she turned away for a bit.

"Did you say something, Charles?" asked Ichika.

"It's Charlotte! Did you not hear my name when I reintroduced myself?" clarified the French girl with Ichika holding up his hands in apologies.

"Right. I'm sorry, Charlotte."

"A guy who plays with a girls' heart deserves to be kicked by a horse and die."

"What's with this all of a sudden?" asked a confused Ichika before turning frontwards. "But yeah, a guy like that does deserves to die."

Ichika could already hear Raiden's words speak to him if he were ever present. It would probably be along the lines of,

 _You already are one, you idiot!_

The train soon stopped at the station to which both Ichika and Charlotte made their stop. For Charlotte however, she didn't like being played around with and kept somewhat of a mean look.

"Wait." said Ichika. "Why are you mad at me?"

Charlotte then turned around and held her hand out. "Here. I'll forgive you if you shake hands with me."

"Oh something like that? Okay." Ichika took a gentle hold of Charlotte's hand and shook it. For Charlotte, even she found it charming, her heart just did not flutter in response to Ichika's hand. It would've been much better if it with Raiden but sadly, she heard that he made a promise to Houki for going out after the tournament. Even though the two did catch up to make up time, Charlotte still wanted to be with the blind boy.

"It be bad if we lose track of each other in a city we don't know. Stay close, okay?"

Charlotte could only give a sigh and said "Blockhead." Now she really wished Raiden were here with her.

Unknown to the two, three particular girls; one a blonde British, another a brunette Chinese, and the last a silver German, were closely following them.

* * *

Meanwhile, on another side of the district, Houki and Raiden were walking together in their casual clothing. Raiden had on a black leather bomber jacket with a fur trim collar and a V-neck white shirt, black pants with two interconnecting belts, and black boots and gloves. Cuffs of fur are decorated on his wrists, neck, and right waist. The pants held a lion belt buckle around it and Raiden sport a silver lion chain necklace.

Houki wore a simple dress with thigh length black stockings, a red pleated skirt about an inch before the stockings and tied with a long red bow. She wore a black jacket with the sleeves rolled up and a white blouse underneath and to finish it off was a red bracelet on her left wrist.

Why were these two out and about and together? Oh, right. Raiden made a promise to go on a date with her, even if she didn't win and he was in a coma. Some people were eyeing on them and their reactions with mixed; some of them acknowledging this date while others questioned Raiden's blindfold.

For Houki however, she slowly began to see a side of herself that she never thought she had. One that was cute, energetic, if not a bit sexy. She found it embarrassingly initially yet grew comfortable over, thinking if Raiden likes sexy. At least she acknowledged that Raiden was not a pervert, unlike her childhood friend even if on accident.

The two came before the entrance to the shopping district. "So…I take it you thought of everything?" asked Raiden.

Houki was caught off guard and nervously said while playing with her fingers "W-Well…Yes. I-I did. Wh-Why don't we check out that store over there?"

Raiden could only smile as he and Houki entered into a store where it displayed some fine quality katana swords on display.

"Hello." said the owner at his front desk. "Looking for some fine quality katana blades?"

"Just browsing." said Raiden.

"Take your time then. We got all the finest blades that come in all shapes, sizes, and style."

Houki and Raiden looked around but along the way, Raiden accidently dropped his iron war fan that was in his inward pocket. It hit the ground with a loud thud, catching the owner's attention. Raiden picked it up yet was met with the usual glare from Houki.

"You're carrying your iron fan with you?"

"Pays to be prepared for the unexpected." said Raiden.

"Excuse me." said the owner as he asked "May I have a look at that fan of yours?"

"Sure, but be sure to give it back. That thing is precious to me." Raiden then handed the owner his iron fan to which the elderly man, looked closely at the weapon.

"I've never seen such a war fan made purely out of iron. It would take years just to fashion something like this."

"You've made war fans before?" asked Raiden.

"I have, but they're always tricky. You need to get it right or one wrong step, even the tiniest mistake, will result in failure." The owner folded the fan out briefly and then folded it back in before he handed it back to Raiden.

"Thank you for letting me examine this." said the owner.

"You're welcome. Let's go, Houki."

"Oh…yes." As soon as the two got out of the store, they saw the district busy with a lot of people. In fact, there were so many people that it would be easy to lose track of one person or the other.

"Houki…" said Raiden making the girl perk up. "We'll easily get lost in this crowd. Stay close to me, okay?"

With that said, Raiden grabbed Houki's hand gently but the girl immediately blushed and couldn't let go. Nonetheless, Houki went along and, while she was initially startled, began to feel calm as she felt the strength Raiden's hand.

 _Those hands…They're so strong. And big…And very gentle._

The two continued to wander around for a little while before they found themselves at a clothes shopping.

"Dammit. I forgot we have that trip. And I need swim trunks." said Raiden.

Houki immediately blushed upon hearing that, immediately thinking of Raiden's upper naked body, and said "We-Well…I don't have one either. So, let's get one then."

The two looked at a variety of swim suits before Raiden found himself in front of one of the changing rooms, waiting for Houki to emerge. He had in his arms a pair of black swim trunks and a black tank top as he merely leaned against the wall next to the changing room that Houki was in.

"D-Don't…Don't peak in here, you hear me?! If you do, you are dead!" warned Houki.

Raiden responded "I know. I'm not a pervert."

The curtain then opened and Houki came out, with Raiden widening his eyes form his blindfold and giving off a small whistle. Houki was in a two-piece white bikini as her face was burning mad with a blush.

"D-Do…Do you like?" asked the blushing girl.

The blind boy merely smiled and said "What's not to like. You look absolutely beautiful in it."

Houki could only let off a cute moan before Raiden stroked a piece of hair from her side and put it behind her ear. Some of the girls got so astonished of this sight that they began to gather one by one, ticking Houki off.

"Now then…shall I go try mine on?" asked Raiden. Houki then asked this question that made Raiden freeze in his tracks for a bit.

"M-M-Ma-May I join you?"

"What?" asked Raiden.

Houki then brushed it off and dragged Raiden back into the changing room and shutting the curtains.

"What's this about now?" asked a confused Raiden.

"W-W-W-Well…I-I wanted to see it for myself."

Raiden was only more confused before he left off a sigh and said "Alright. But turn around until I am finished okay?"

Raiden proceeded to take of his jacket and his shirt so as to put on the tank top. Houki, meanwhile, was blushing like mad and was very deep in thought.

 _S-Stupid! What was I thinking? Why did I drag him in here with me? I only wanted to not let the other girls have him!_

Houki briefly took a peek behind her with her eyes before she reverted back as her blush continued to grow.

 _And yet…the thought of seeing him without his shirt is…_ (Houki then shakes her head) _No no no! Get yourself together! You are a samurai and you shouldn't think of things like that!_

Raiden then took off his pants and left his undergarments on as soon as he slipped on the trunks. He then said,

"Okay. All done."

Houki turned around and what she saw astonished her completely. Raiden was in his black swim trunks and black tank top. His muscular arms being shown which made Houki unconsciously stroke them with her arms. Raiden responded by stroking her hair and lifting her chin up while trying to keep that cool look.

"What do you think?" asked Raiden.

Houki stuttered over this and said "Y-Y-You look…sexy."

Raiden could not hear the last part and asked "What did you say?"

Houki struggled to say it again. "Y-You look…sexy."

Raiden was a little surprised yet amused. He then flirtatiously said this to Houki,

"Not sexy enough as you."

Houki could only blush redder than perhaps the reddest of all things. Her hands then reached under Raiden's arms as she unconsciously clung onto his back and stroke it, feeling all the muscles back there, while bringing herself close to Raiden. Raiden, in turn, stroked Houki's left cheek with his right arm and the two merely nuzzled each other.

But before the moment could go on, a couple of familiar voices were heard from behind.

"That voice just now, could it be…"

The curtain from behind were thrown open and Houki yelped while Raiden turned his head and had his jaw slightly dropped.

"Shinonono?! Hataru?!" asked Yamada-sensei as they were revealing more than what they had showed. The two remained in their awkward position.

"What are you two doing?" asked Chifuyu as she stared at them. Raiden could only say a few words,

"Ugh. Son of a…"

The two were then in their seating positions fully clothed in their normal clothes before they were given a lecture by Yamada-sensei.

"Now listen, even if you are classmates, a line must be drawn. Boys and girls cannot enter the changing rooms together!"

"Sorry." The both of them said.

Once Yamada-sensei was finished and took a sigh of relief, Houki and Raiden went over to the counter and paid for their stuff before exiting out of the store.

The two continued to walk before Raiden saw a jewelry store. He then requested, "Hey Houki. Can you wait for a bit? There are some things that I need to attend to."

"Oh. Uh, okay." This was perfect for Houki as she found a bench to sit on while Raiden left. She then began to reminisce her experience while embracing her blush. She could still feel Raiden's muscles on her body, the scent of his smell made her excited.

 _What's this feeling I have? Not just in my heart, but my whole body…I-I want more!_

Meanwhile, Raiden had entered into a jewelry store and saw something that caught his eye. He saw a fox necklace that was silver yet also orange in color. The entire thing was made of silver except for the pendant itself.

"Excuse me." called Raiden to one of the people behind the table. He pointed to the necklace and asked "How much is that necklace?"

Raiden was soon finished and found Houki by the bench, still contemplating yet also waiting patiently for him. She then saw him come up to him and came to him with a smile on her face, which amused Raiden and made him happy.

"Sorry it took a while. Shall we?" asked Raiden.

Houki then said "Yes. Let's." She then wrapped her arm around Raiden's left arm as the two continued to walk around the district, visiting all sorts of places before the two settled down by a patch of grass and watch the sunset. They then had to depart back to the Academy to get ready for the trip.

* * *

"Everyone, make sure to be back at the Inn by dinnertime!" yelled Yamada-sensei.

Everyone looked out to see the beautiful view of the ocean. Ichika wore a simple blue trunks swimsuit while Raiden wore something similar but in black with a silver lion pouncing on the right side of the trunks. Also, because of the scars Raiden has, he wore a black tank top despite the hot weather.

"Hey, Orimu. Play volleyball with us. You too, Hatata." said Honne Nohotoke who was still wearing her familiar fox suit.

The word "Hatata" ticked Raiden off, making him pinch and stretch out her cheeks and say "Is my last name even Hatata?!"

Ichika could only laugh at that. Sure, Honne may act like a child every now and then but at least she was cute. Suddenly, Rin assaulted Ichika from behind and sat on top of his shoulders.

"Woah. It's so high up here. I can see all the way yonder!"

"What are you doing?! Are you a cat or something?" asked Ichika as he struggled to get Rin off.

"That looks fun!" said Honne. "I wanna do it, too!"

"Then I'm after her!" said another girl.

"I'm not a watchtower! Get off of me already!" cried Ichika.

"For now, you are. Give these girls a chance." said Raiden.

"Raiden, you're supposed to help me." retorted Ichika.

"And you're supposed to play nice." countered Raiden.

Cecilia came over with an umbrella and towel and, after seeing what Rin and Ichika were doing, only puffed her cheeks.

"What are you two even doing?" Cecilia asked.

"Can't you tell?" said Rin. "It's a mobile patrol watchtower."

Cecilia could only smile but this smile was not one of happiness. "Ichika-san, have you forgotten the promise we made on the bus?!" She then thrusted her umbrella deep into the sand before laying out her towel. She then laid on it and unclasped her bikini before handing Ichika the suntan oil.

"If you please, Ichika-san."

Rin immediately got off and asked "What are _you_ planning on making Ichika do?"

"As you can see, I'm going to let him rub some suntan oil on me. A gentleman does not break promises he makes with a lady."

Raiden then told Ichika "She's got a point there."

"Raiden, whose side are you picking on?" asked Ichika.

"I'm on my own side, for crying out loud. Then again, I'm always on the winning side. In this case, Cecil's."

"Aww. Aniki, you're so nice." said Cecilia.

"Only to you, imouto." said Raiden with a smile.

"Oh well." said a reluctant Ichika. "I got no choice."

As Ichika put the oil on his right hand, he could only feel slightly repulsed at the texture of it. As he put it on Cecilia's back, the British blonde startled in shock.

"Ichika-san, warm it up first with your hands."

"Sorry." said Ichika as he proceeded. "I've never done anything like this before."

"Where have you been in life?" asked Raiden.

"Well…I guess I could forgive you if this is your first time." said Cecilia with a smile.

"Why do you look so happy?" asked a cranky Rin.

Ichika proceeded to rub the oil on Cecilia's back and as he did, he could only blush at what he was doing. Cecilia was not having it any better, at least for Ichika's ears. She kept on moaning and moaning since Ichika's hands, big as they are, gently massaged the back.

"Wow. She looks like she is enjoying this." commented one girl.

"It makes my heart racing faster." said another glasses girl as she brought her hands to her cheeks in amazement.

Raiden could only roll his eyes and shake his head slightly at the comments. These girls don't even know what it's like to have a man massage them.

After Ichika was finished, he asked "Am I done?"

"Actually, can you do everywhere else as well?" asked Cecilia.

"Everywhere?!" asked a startled Ichika.

"My legs and…my buttocks too."

Ichika could only gasp in shock before rescue came to him in the form of Raiden who took a hand to his shoulder.

"Let me take care of that for you, imouto. After all, a big brother has got to do something like this for his little sister, right?"

Raiden began to massage gently Cecilia's back with the suntan oil before he moved onto the shoulders and neck for massage. For Cecilia however, this was but a new experience. In fact, this was maybe ten times better than what Ichika did earlier.

From her ribcage to her armpits to her shoulder blades and even to her hips, Raiden looked as if he was a master at this and didn't hold anything back. Cecilia could only moan louder and louder, much louder than what Ichika did.

"A-A-Aniki, how are you so~~ good at this?" asked Cecilia as she struggled to speak.

"Six years with a certain Mentor of mine, you pick up a thing or two." answered Raiden. "Okay, now for the legs."

Raiden gently used the oil to massage the legs from Cecilia's thighs to her calves. Everyone else watching could only stare in amazement before Cecilia let off her loudest moan yet and merely collapsed, panting hard if not sweating a little.

"I think that'll do." said Raiden. "She's about to fall asleep anyway." Raiden turned and only saw gaping mouths directed towards him.

"What?"

A few moments and conundrums later, Raiden decided to take a swim in the ocean. Not only were his hands still smelly from the suntan oil, but also the fact that it was getting a little too hot. Taking his tank top off and storing it in his bag, he dove into the salty water before emerging out, blowing off some of the water from his mouth.

Raiden then stood up to bring his hands to his head and let his long hair flow back. He then floated in the water on his back, just trying to take in the cold water cooling him off from the hot sun. Some of the girls even saw him and many blushed at the sight of his muscular body, along with the scars.

Then, Raiden heard a scream from the beach. He goes up to the shore and sees Rin being attended to by Ichika, Cecilia, and one other girl. Everyone else just watched.

As soon as Raiden arrived with his tank top on, he asked "What happened?"

"I don't know." answered Ichika.

Raiden took a look at Rin's foot before he said "Nothing serious. Just a small cramp on the foot. Walk it off and stretch it out."

"That was quote the catastrophe, Rin. Let me wake you back to the guest house." said Cecilia.

"Huh?" asked the confused girl. "No, wait. Ichika can…"

Cecilia turned towards the other girl as they dragged Rin back to the house, the girl helplessly thrashing around and calling out to Ichika for help.

"With that much energy, I'm sure she's alright." said Ichika.

"Yeah. She'll walk it off." said Ichika.

"Ichika. Raiden. There you are." cried a familiar voice of Charlotte. She was accompanied by someone wrapped around in white cloth from head to toe with an eyepatch around the left socket. Her silver hair was also in the form of two large twin tails. Ichika could only get surprised at that while Raiden was indifferent.

Raiden only said "Charlotte, it's not Halloween yet." The French girl could only giggle at that remark.

"Come on. Show Ichika. You're fine." Charlotte said to the wrapped figure.

"I…I'll decide if I'm fine or not." said the figure whose voice was female and familiar.

"That voice. Is that Laura?" asked Ichika.

 _Didn't recognize the eyepatch, bozo?_ Thought Raiden.

"You changed into your swimsuit, so you have to show Ichika." whispered Charlotte.

"W-Wait! I need to prepare myself for this…" said the figure.

"Oh? Then I'll go ahead and play with Ichika in the ocean. Is that alright with you?"

"N-No, you can't!"

Charlotte then unwrapped Laura who was then shown in a two-piece black bikini. Immediately, she blushed heavily with a red face.

"L-Laugh at me if you wish."

"It looks good on her, doesn't it Ichika?" asked Charlotte.

"Yeah. You look cute in it."

Laura all but gasped and began to play with her fingers before monologuing to herself.

 _C-Cute? He just called me cute! That's the first time anyone has ever called me that._

"Come on, Ichika. The girls want to play volleyball with us." said Raiden.

"Sure. Come on, Charlotte!" called Ichika. With Charlotte, the two boys were set up on one side of the court against Honne Nohotoke and her two friends.

The ball was tossed from the other side as it came over to Charlotte before Ichika passed it over to Raiden who jumped up and spiked it, only for it to be caught and passed over to the other side.

The ball kept on going back and forth before it was spiked by one of the girls. It was too fast for anyone to track and the ball smacked into something that made Ichika and Raiden wince away.

Laura took the full brunt of the hit and merely fell back into the sand. The three came over to check on the downed German girl.

"Laura. Are you ok?" asked Ichika.

"I think she'll be fine." said Raiden. "She is a soldier after all."

"Laura, what happened?" asked Charlotte.

Laura could only stutter and say "Wh-When he said…I'm c-cute…I…"

"Were you still blushing over that?" asked Charlotte.

Laura could only look at Ichika in a much redder face than being sunburnt before she turned and ran for the ocean.

"What's wrong with her? Should we go after her?" asked Ichika.

"I think it's better if we left her alone." answered Charlotte.

"Probably wise." agreed Raiden.

Screams of delight were then heard as the trio watched to see Yamada-sensei and Chifuyu approach in their own swimsuits. Raiden could only give a small wolf whistle at the sight of his big sister. When he turned over to Ichika, he could only be aghast at his sister's sight.

"Huh. You never told me you had a sister complex." joked Raiden which frightened Ichika.

"W-W-What?! I have nothing like that!" panicked Ichika.

"Keep dreaming." said Raiden.

Honne, Chifuyu, and Yamada were set up on their side of the court while Raiden, Ichika, and Charlotte did the same. Charlotte served the ball which was caught by Yamada-sensei who awkwardly hit it back before it came to Chifuyu and she attempted to spike it but it was caught by Raiden.

The game kept on going before the teams were even with each other in terms of score. Only one point remained and then it was game. After the ball was spiked, both Ichika and Raiden saw the ball come towards the middle of their court within reaching distance of each other and both simultaneously went after it.

"I got this." said Raiden.

"No, I got it." said Ichika.

The two boys tried to dive for the ball but their heads collided with one another and they both fell, holding their heads. The ball landed and Chifuyu's team won the game by one point.

Raiden sat up and said "What the hell?! I had that, you idiot!"

"No! I had it! I called it mine!" countered Ichika.

"I called it first! Did you not hear me say it?"

"I was going after it! You should've let me handle it!"

"I could say the same for you, you dumbwit!"

The two boys stared intently at each other's eyes before they playfully tackled each other. Some of the girls gasped at the sight of the fight and neither of the combatants seemed to get under each other and slam them. Their heads were then smacked by Chifuyu on the same area where their heads collided. They could only hold it in pain as it worsened.

"Quit you two! Honestly, you're like babies fighting over a useless toy. Make up for it and move on."

"Yes, Ma'am." They both said. They then shook hands before the two laughed at their comical situation.

The rest of the afternoon played out afterwards, with some great moments here and there and some awkward instants as well. Ichika could only rest on a floaty out on the ocean while Raiden sat on a bedrock by the beach, both the boys enjoying the sun and relaxing for once in a lifetime.

* * *

Sunset had approached as Houki stood at the edge of a cliff while staring at the sight. She desperately wanted to be down by the beach and enjoy spending the time with Raiden but unfortunately, there were other things on her mind that prevented her from doing so. She then heard some footsteps and a voice come to her from behind.

"So this is where you are."

Houki turned around as Chifuyu walked up to her, making her a bit surprised.

"Chifu—Orimura-sensei."

"It seems your heart is not in the right place. What is wrong?"

"Well…"

"Is it about Tabane?" asked Chifuyu, making Houki surprised at that remark. "I called her the other day. She was not connected to Laura's VT System."

"Yes." Acknowledged Houki.

"Tomorrow's July 7th. She may show up."

Houki acknowledged it as she could clearly remember the words that Tabane had promised. However, it was not the only thing she thought of as the next words from Tabane came back to her mind.

 _I hope you know what you are asking for._

Houki could only turn to look at the sky and with one thought in mind.

 _I will protect Raiden. With this new IS. At any cost._


	11. Chapter 11: Akatsubaki Debut

**CHAPTER 11**

Night fell as it was 7:30 PM. The whole class was having dinner in a large banquet hall composed of three other halls linked together. Some of the girls decided to take a relaxation at the hot spring bath outside. Everyone that was present at the dinner was dressed in a traditional yukata.

Everyone sat neatly in rows on their seating cushions, which were a traditional thing. Which meant that everyone sat in a seiza position with a catering table in front of them.

Everyone was present at the dining table enjoying their meals and conversations with their friends…except for one other person whom Ichika wondered where he was.

Raiden sat outside the dining room in a quiet area and merely looked at the stars while having some sake. Apparently, he snuck in a bottle for a trip and he hasn't been caught yet much to his surprise. Then again, Chifuyu would allow it given that she was an alcoholic and that she trusted Raiden more than anything.

Raiden had already finished his dinner early and his meal was quite light. Despite his athletic build, he was surprisingly a light eater. Why that is he doesn't even know. He has tried to eat more before in the cafeteria but he can never finish his seconds.

As Raiden took a sip of his sake, he looked up to see the stars shining bright tonight, with the moonlight over them as well. Then, for his eyes only, a familiar figure sat right next to him. A figure he had not seen for some time since her passing.

It was Akane Fujimoto, Raiden's former guardian, or "Mentor" as he would call her to other people, who took him in when Raiden was a child. She was a tall and attractive woman; whose dark blue hair was in a ponytail. Her attire consisted of an A-shirt that is white at the piece at the back of her neck to the top of her breasts. She also wore black pants and black boots.

Akane merely sat in a lax position as she looked up in the same direction as Raiden.

"So…how is life at the Academy?" asked Akane.

"You're watching from the other side. Why don't you tell me?" joked Raiden.

"If only I could hit you for saying that, you brat."

"Ha! You were never one for insults anyway." Raiden took a sip of his drink.

"I have to say though…" said Akane. "You've gotten pretty popular with the girls. Not to mention that you've had sex with the most powerful pilot at the Academy. You took the poor girl's first time."

"As far as I know, you were the one that took my virginity away, remember?"

"It was a birthday gift. Be grateful for it."

"I still am."

The two were all but silent as they watched the stars shining bright until Raiden asked,

"I take it you saw everything up to this point?"

"Yeah." said Akane. Raiden then had somewhat of a somber look on his face which Akane noticed straight away.

"Oh don't give me that look. I taught you better than that, remember?"

"I know. It's just…"

"Hey, Raiden." Akane put her hand onto Raiden's right hand which made turn to her. "You are the only one that has to do this. Only you can decide what is right and wrong. And if you need to do what you must, then do it. Don't let anything stop you on the road you have taken."

"Akane…"

Akane merely smiled and said "This is a direct order from me: get out there and fight...for your own sake."

Raiden could only look surprised for a moment before he smiled and said "Alright..."

Akane had given a satisfied smile before Raiden heard another voice from behind, "Oh?"

By the time Raiden looked behind to see Chifuyu standing there, Akane had disappeared from Raiden's vision like thin air.

"When did I ever permit you to bring alcohol on this trip?" asked Chifuyu.

"You never did." Raiden said bluntly.

Chifuyu gave a chuckle and asked "You really are an alcoholic, aren't you Otouto?"

"It was intentional for me to bring the sake. I just have no intention for me to share it amongst the populace."

"When did you even start drinking?" asked a curious Chifuyu.

"Since I was 12 years old, I think. Got really bitter on my first taste and was passed out immediately after just one cup. I still remember sharing with my Mentor and looking at the stars like this. (Sigh) Such good times."

"I'm surprised you're not drunk already. How many cups have you had so far?"

"About three cups. I've developed somewhat of a high tolerance for the stuff. Took a while though since before I just pass out after one. Either that or my sake was spiked by my Mentor."

"Then, you don't mind sharing some with me?" asked Chifuyu with a smirk.

Raiden poured a cup of sake and handed it to her. He then asked "Should we take this to your room? The girls wouldn't want a fellow student, much less their teacher, drinking, would they?"

"Follow me, then."

* * *

Cecilia was happily skipping along the outskirts of the Inn. Apparently, she was invited over to Ichika's room during dinner for something. How could she say no to that? She was wearing something special underneath her yukata, something so special that even thinking of it made her blush a little, if not a bit excited.

Her excitement caused her to walk like the breeze, moving faster like she was dancing as she moved towards her destination.

However-

"..."

"..."

She saw two girls in front of Ichika's room door with their ears to the door as if listening to the other side of it.

"Rin-san? Houki-san? What are you two-"

"Shh!"

With Rin hushing her, Cecilia immediately quieted down and joined in. Not understanding what was going on, she suddenly heard voices from behind the door.

"Chifuyu-nee, you're a bit tense because you haven't done it for a long time?"

"How is it possible, idiot-mm! A-A little forceful..."

"Yes yes, how about...there?"

"Ah! Th-There, there's...no good, UU!"

"You'll be comfortable soon. There's quite a bit of fatigue you accumulated..."

"AHHH!"

The girls could only blush heavily because of what their minds were thinking as of right now. With cross pop veins over their heads, they remained silent. Rin and Houki looked dead serious like they hadn't slept for the entire night.

Soon, Charlotte and Laura joined in on the trio. As Chifuyu's moans increased, the girls could only and instinctively lean closer to the door. Unfortunately, the door was beginning to crack and fell forward, taking the girls with it as they ended up in a pile.

By the time they shook the stars form their heads, they looked up to see Chifuyu on her stomach and Ichika on top giving a massage.

Chifuyu could only sternly ask "What are you doing?"

Silence could only fill the air before the sound of breathing and of hearing fearful noises come not far away. On a futon and asleep was Raiden, who looked as if he was having a bad dream. His legs were twitching as if he was running fast and his breathing became erratic and gasping.

"No...No!" whispered a fearful Raiden.

Chifuyu caught onto this and said "Ichika, give Raiden some comfort, okay?"

Ichika answered "Alright."

Ichika went over and patted Raiden's shoulder gently. As soon as Raiden felt it, he woke up with a gasp and his breathing became quick and fast. He was sweating like crazy yet Ichika found the right words.

"Hey. You alright?" asked Ichika.

Raiden merely sat back down onto the futon.

"Just relax. You'll be back to sleep soon."

Raiden could only nod his head before he slept peacefully as Ichika patted his shoulder in assurance.

As soon as Raiden was reassured of his nightmare, he went back to sleep. But, feeling pity for her little brother with a nightmare, Chifuyu decided to bring him over and have him sleep on her lap. The girls were surprised at this and a lot of questions came through their minds, especially from Houki and Charlotte. Ichika left to go get some drinks at the bar in the meantime on Chifuyu's orders.

Chifuyu gently stroked Raiden's long silver hair as it was flowed out behind him while quietly humming a lullaby to get him to stay asleep nicely. He was giving the urges and noises of a lion but was still soundly asleep. Chifuyu decided to ask the group of girls in front of her,

"So…I take it that you girls want to take one of the boys for your own?"

The girls gasped in surprise at this and it all caught their attention. Chifuyu then said,

"Well…I may be willing to hand Ichika to you, but for Raiden…" She looked down to see the sleeping lion as she gently scratched underneath his chin, which he found relaxing.

"I don't think that is an option…yet."

Houki and Charlotte could only drop their mouths. Rin, Laura, and Cecilia were pretty much okay, but wondered if Chifuyu took a liking to Raiden.

"Tell me something, though. What is it about Raiden that you find…intriguing?"

No one dared to answer that question. Either they were too afraid to do so or they were just embarrassed to say it. That is until Cecilia spoke up first,

"I…I like how he is kind." It was all she could say.

"Strong. More than what he seems to be." Rin spoke next.

"Reliable and gentle." said Charlotte as she gave a massive blush.

"Brave, if not selfless." said Laura as she looked at the sleeping lion.

Houki couldn't speak about him. For one thing, she was focused on getting her IS from her sister tomorrow morning but also, she was still a bit haunted by what happened to Raiden before the Tag Team Tournament.

Laura then asked "Instructor, if I may, what is your relationship with Alpha?"

Chifuyu attitude changed to one of somber as stare down at the sleeping lion for a few seconds before she said,

"He is...someone I should never left behind."

Confusion only came upon the girls' head. It was the only thought they simultaneously had in their heads. Chifuyu could only stay silent as she gave a soft sigh before she continued looking down onto Raiden with a somber look.

"I was there, eight years ago. When I found Raiden by accident and of the horror he went through. You don't know what it's like to see an 8-year old child in front of you having his eyes sliced out permanently by an IS pilot. When I saw that, all I could feel was anger. Children do not deserve this cruel thing to happen to them."

Flashbacks from Chifuyu's past began to form, as did the memories of that dreadful night.

"After I rescued Raiden, I took him to a hospital and kept watch over him for a time. I even refused to participate in some matches all because of him. Officially, I told them I had become sick. I couldn't bear to leave Raiden like this so I kept watch over him, but even then, I knew I couldn't do this forever."

A small and unrecognizable tear began to form in Chifuyu's right eye. Guilt and regret could only fill her heart as she decided to let it all out.

"I was forced to turn him in to the orphanage. I never wanted to leave him; I even fought for his sake and custody, to take care of him, but I knew I couldn't take care of both him and Ichika. As much as it pained me, it left me with no choice. Right after I retired from piloting, I went on to try to find Raiden and hopefully get him back from the orphanage. But little did I know that he was already taken."

The tear from her right eye soon began to fall and landed on Raiden. None of the girls who were even listening caught sight of it.

"Eight years. Eight years had I not seen him. But now…"

"Now you want to make up the time you lost..." concluded Rin. Chifuyu could only nod in agreement.

"I made a mistake leaving him behind, even if I had no say in the matter. Now…I want to help him and protect him, just like I have done with Ichika. He's like another little brother to me, but one more vulnerable and more hurt. He may not be my little brother in blood, but even a sister has to care for her surrogate kin."

Chifuyu then turned her gaze to the girls and caught their attention. They had a swell of fear come through them, almost as if they were dealing with permission to marry someone.

"Know this. I am willing to tolerate you all being friendly to him. And I will allow him to do things on his own accord, whatever they might be. But if you dare do anything that gets my attention…" Chifuyu needed not to finish as the girls truly understood what she meant by that.

Everyone could only look at the sleeping lion with pity as Chifuyu continued to stroke his hair before scratching his chin gently.

* * *

The next morning, Raiden walked out of his room and stretched out his arms. It was a rough night last night yet the sun poking out of the clouds gave Raiden a sense of relaxation.

On the way to the changing room, Houki and Raiden met coincidentally. Houki's heart jumped up a little in surprise before she turned her head to the problem is the mysterious scene in front of them, changing her mood completely.

There are bunny ears sticking out from the ground with a 'Please pull' piece of paper stuck on it.

"The hell is that?"

"I don't know, don't ask me. It has nothing to do with me."

Houki immediately denied it before Raiden could even finish asking her. Then again, it would be wise not to ask her.

It could be hours if they just stared at this sign. So, without further ado, Raiden then said,

"I'm pulling it. That okay with you?"

"Do whatever you want. It doesn't involve me."

After saying that, Houki immediately left. Raiden could only have a question mark on his head. What's going on here all of a sudden?

Being left alone, Raiden pulled that pair of bunny ears from the ground forcefully before he tumbled backwards due to the huge force.

All of a sudden, he heard something coming down from the skies and looked up to see something coming down fast.

* **BOOM** *

An unidentified flying object drilled deeply into the ground, taking the shape of a carrot. Raiden immediately pulled out his iron fan for defense.

"Oh, Houki-chan!"

The carrot split in half, and the person who appeared while laughing is a tall woman with purple hair. She's wearing a tightfitting blue and white skirt that's like the one in Alice in Wonderland. She takes the bunny ears from Raiden and immediately puts them on.

Raiden knew immediately who this person was.

Shinonono Tabane-san...can't she enter through a normal way?

"Oh? Houki-chan is not hear? Uuhh!" Tabane gave a comical sad face before she reverted to her annoying and happy mood. "Oh well. Time to use my Houki finder. Fui Fui!"

Raiden could only stay silent and look with a face of indifference.

"Now where's Houki-chan? Weren't the both of you together just now? Did she go to the bathroom? Well, no problem. I can use just this little Houki-chan detector to find her! Bye bye. See you later!"

Just like that, she vanished like the wind, and blazingly fast. On a side note, it seems that the Houki-chan detector she's talking about seems to be that pair of bunny ears. The detectors successfully turn towards where Houki went. No, wait, do detectors look like that?

Raiden merely smacked himself in the head with his palm. This was going to be one long and annoying day.

 _Where's the sake I packed? Oh right. Chifuyu drank all of it._

* * *

Down by a beach cove in a private area of the island not too far away from the resort, Chifuyu assembled the personal IS pilots along with Houki. Wait a second. Houki isn't a personal pilot so why is she here?

The group could only wait in silence before a question was asked.

"Umm…Orimura-sensei, why is Houki-san here with us?" asked Cecilia.

"Shinonono will be getting her personal IS today…from someone whom I wish should have never come." said Chifuyu groaning on that last phrase.

A little while later, a voice like that of a child was heard and called out "CHHHIIIIII-CHHHAAAANNNN!"

Tabane sprinted fast, possibly at light speed, over to Chifuyu in an attempt for a hug but the woman held her back surprisingly with just the palm of her hand. Her fingers delved deep into Tabane's skin yet the purple rabbit didn't seem to be in pain as she was merely wining like a pouty child.

"Introduce yourself, Tabane." said Chifuyu.

"But I wanna get a hug from Chi-Chan first! I really missed you! You cannot imagine what it's like to be years apart! Now come on and show me those melons of yours. They must've gotten bigger lately."

Tabane could only smack her hard on the head with her fist which, although a barrier was put up, still hurt to the girl. Her pain only made herself whine more.

Tabane reluctantly introduced herself yet kept the energetic and annoying attitude. "Hello! This is your super genius and IS creator, Tabane Shinonono."

While everyone but Houki and Ichika were shocked at her energetic personality, Raiden was emotionless...and also unimpressed with Tabane. In his heart, he could feel the growl of the dark lion lingering inside of him, wanting to awaken and attack her right here and right now. But Raiden managed to hold it back, although barely. He was so tempted to just take his iron fan out and crush Tabane's neck, but he was smart enough not to do such a thing not because he would commit something bad, but that this was the super genius creator of the IS.

And any super genius creator of the IS would have definitely come prepared.

"I am here on this spectaculorous occasion to deliver Houki-chan's personal IS. It should be arriving at any moment now.

Suddenly, really suddenly, with the sound of an impact, an unidentified metallic object dropped onto the sand. The silvery metal block looked like it's a wall for a moment as its front part falls down. Then we see the contents inside. What's inside is…

"Jya jyan~! This is Houki-chan's personal IS Akatsubaki! Its specs are superior to every IS in every way and was made personally by Tabane-san!"

As if in response to Tabane-san, that crimson red armor was moved out using mobile arms. The red armor was reflecting the bright sunlight, probably because it's a new IS. It's really eye-catching. Huh? Did Tabane-san just mention something unbelievable? The specs are all superior to the current IS. In other words, it's the newest and strongest frame!

"Here, Houki-chan, it's now time for the optimization! I'll help out from aside, so it'll end soon "

"...I'll leave it to you then."

"That's so rare~. We're blood siblings. You should talk to me in a more affectionate manner-"

"Hurry up and start."

Is this what they mean by 'playing alone'? Houki ignored Tabane-san completely and prompted her to move.

"Mn~ well, that's true. Let's get started then."

Tabane pressed the remote control, and Akatsubaki activated, opening the cockpit to allow the pilot to enter. It even kneeled down automatically to let the pilot enter it easily.

"I've input Houki-chan's data to a certain level. Now I just need to update the recent values! Then, *pi, pa, pa *!"

Tabane opened a control panel and slides her fingers on it. She then summoned out 6 screens in mid-air to navigate through the huge amount of data on the screen, and typed out on the emulated keyboard in mid-air.

"It's a close-ranged suit that's adjusted to being an all-around type, so I guess you will get used to it soon! Not to mention there's automatic support equipment! Onee-chan prepared them all!"

"Oh, thanks."

Houki still sounded rather cold and Raiden could understand why. From what he had heard during his talks with her, Houki seems to hate Tabane because she had to transfer schools when Tabane-san introduced the IS. It left her apart from Ichika for six years before being reunited with him at the Academy. But for Raiden, he knew there was more.

While a part of it was due to Tabane, he wondered why Houki would get a person IS delivered to her. He could understand her desire to be out there fighting with her friends but even with this power, it can come at a price. A price he has experienced before firsthand.

"After that, it'll just be adjustments, and the personalization will be complete. Now then…where is that blind boy?"

All eyes then turned to Raiden, who merely kept his emotionless face. Tabane stepped down from the keyboard and approached the boy, while also checking him out, almost as if examining him.

"So…you are the one? The 2nd male IS pilot who pilots a lion. I don't know why Houki-chan would be all over you, since she wrecked my plan for both her and I-kun. Not to mention that you get to pilot an IS that I had no part in."

As Tabane continued her ranting, Raiden could only grow in annoyance. Although he kept a stoic posture and casually allowed Tabane to walk around him and poke him in some areas, something stirred within him. Something he was unaware of.

"I mean, why? Why couldn't I take part in it? That just makes me sad! But I swear I am going to find out your IS and why it is so special, especially its own IS core which—"

Tabane was suddenly interrupted by Raiden who gripped her throat with his right hand and held her tightly. Caught off-guard, she was lifted a little high off the ground as Raiden emotionlessly continued to squeeze the life out of her.

Everyone could only look in shock and fear. Even Houki herself saw this new attitude of Raiden to be frightening. For the person she admired and had feelings for to choke her own sister, while a small miniscule part of her perhaps found pleasure for it, a majority of herself was completely horrified.

Chifuyu then recognized what was happening to Raiden as she saw the purple fiery mascara from his eyes go off. She knew then that she was dealing with something before as flashbacks of the Feral Mode incident with Laura popped into her mind. In a brief moment of panic, she called out to Raiden.

"HATARU!"

Raiden suddenly snapped out of his mind and let go of Tabane, who was dropped to the ground on her knees to adjust her throat while Raiden remained stunned and backed away a little. The mascara no longer revealed itself but then Raiden saw a brief but clear vision of a dark lion in him and held his head with his right hand as if a headache came upon him. His breathing was somewhat ragged yet Chifuyu came over and gave a comforting hand to Raiden but also had a look of concern.

"Are you alright?" Chifuyu asked.

"Y-Yeah. I'll be alright." Raiden answered while shaking his head a little to get away from the headache. "Thanks…Orimura-sensei."

"Activate your IS. Tabane wants to have a look at it for Shinonono's IS."

"Understood."

Raiden activates his IS and the giant silver lion looms over Tabane. She could only watch in amazement, like a child seeing fireworks go off. Composing herself after fixing her neck, Tabane just inserted the circuits into Lion Heart's armor. And just like before, the screens appeared in the air.

"Mn~...to actually create such an unbelievable diagram like this. What is this? I never seen this state before. Is it because of the IS or the fact that the pilot who almost choked the life out of me is a guy?"

The diagram here refers to the development path the IS takes according to the person. In human terms, it's the genes of the IS. For Tabane's eyes however, these genes were much different than the ones she has seen before in all her years of the IS.

Houki could only watch Raiden in his IS and just remain impassive. She had thought that Raiden would be happy of her receiving an IS so that she could fight alongside him. But the blind boy merely kept quiet for a majority of today. The only time he heard him talk was in the morning when Tabane's bunny ears were sticking out of the ground. While she was startled and frightened at his behavior of what he did to her older sister earlier, after she saw Raiden back off and hold his head, she knew that what Raiden just did was not of his own free will. Then again, the lion returned to his cold state.

 _Raiden has stayed quiet. Why? I can't tell from his emotionless face. What's going on through his head?_

As the adjustments from Lion Heart entered Akatsubaki, Houki felt something within her. A feeling of abnormality coursed within her and it was then that she felt something emanate from Lion Heart and more specifically, Raiden. She could hear his thoughts and that of his IS, along with the emotions that stirred within.

It was almost as if it was something…ominous. Would it though help her in the long run or could this be some sort of mistake of having her personal IS be adjusted to match that of a prototype 2nd Generation IS?

Houki decided then that it would be best to shrug it off and leave it be. As Tabane continued her work, Houki coughed twice to check status.

"Am I done here?"

"Mn, it's done. Oh, 3 minutes over. Ahh, I could have used the time to cook a cup of instant noodles. Try taking it for a ride. Fly it a bit! It should follow Houki-chan's thoughts~"

"Okay, I'll try it."

The cables linking to the Akatsubaki and Lion Heart were removed. After that, Houki closed her eyes, and Akatsubaki flew off at a really fast speed.

The sudden acceleration caused shockwaves that made the sand dance about. As everyone turned to look at Houki, Lion Heart's super-sensors captured Akatsubaki that was flying 300m above.

"How is it? Much more mobile than what Houki-chan expected?"

"Mn...yeah, sort of..."

Tabane's most likely strapped with an IS as well, as Ichika can sense that she's using the public channel to communicate.

"Then try swinging your swords. The right one is Amatsuki, and the left one is Karaware. I'm going to send the special data of the weapons over!"

After saying that, Tabane danced her finger at the sky. Having received the weapon data, Houki drew both swords with a swoosh.

"Let's add on Tabane-onee-chan's explanation~ ! Amatsuki's used to attack one person. The blade will create an energy blade attack when it attacks. It can turn an enemy into a beehive if it's used consecutively! It's a wonderful weapon~ the range is about as far as an assault rifle, no? It can't reach the range of a sniper rifle, but it's balanced out by the speed of Akatsubaki."

Everyone didn't know if they were going along with Tabane-san's explanation, but Houki got ready to swing the blade. She raised her right hand to her left shoulder into the Shinonono-nitoryu kendo style-the shield-sword style. That's a position that can easily turn defense into attack, using the force of the attack to counter.

As the blade got swung out, the surrounding space let out several red lasers, forming a ball-shaped thing. They then formed bullets of light and pierced out several holes in the clouds in the air.

"The next one's Karaware. It's a weapon used to deal with a group, and can launch a shaped attack with the slash! It can extend its range when it's swung, so it's super useful. Try hitting some of them here!"

After saying that, Tabane-san summoned a 16-missile pod firing machine. As the lights gathered and formed it, it shot out its missiles at that instant.

Houki swung the Karaware, that was tucked under her right armpit, one round. The red lasers extended out just like Tabane-san said, taking out all 16 missiles.

"Powerful..."

Gradually appearing from the smoke of the explosion, Houki and her red IS looked as imposing as ever. Everyone present looked stunned and mesmerized by the overwhelming outcome in front of them, unable to say anything. Tabane seemed satisfied as she viewed the scene in front of her, nodding away.

However, only two people staring at Tabane sternly before one of them turned his head to Houki. Ichika caught wind of this and gave a surprise look.

 _Chifuyu-nee...? Raiden? Why would they show such a look? It seems like they're looking at an enemy._

Raiden looked briefly at Tabane before he looked at the Akatsubaki in the skies. For all the display that it had showed, Raiden could only feel one thing in his heart.

He was not impressed. But even more so, he was afraid of what this power could cost, something he learned firsthand.

"TH-THI-THIS IS BAD! O-ORI-ORIMURA-SENSEI!"

The sudden voice of Yamada-sensei caused Chifuyu to keep her sharp eyes and turn to her. Though Yamada-sensei's normally panicking, it felt different this time.

"What's wrong?"

"Pl-Plea-Please look at this."

On seeing the visual image Yamada-sensei passed over, Chifuyu's face darkened.

"Class A special mission, and a request to deal with it immediately..."

"I-I'll contact the other teachers then."

"Got it-EVERYONE PAY ATTENTION!"

After Yamada-sensei ran away, Chifuyu clapped twice to gain everyone's attention.

"The IS Academy teachers are now going to carry out a special mission, so today's testing will be over. Return back to the resort. Everyone is to hurry up and head back! Am I clear?"

"Yes!"

Everyone started moving frantically. It seems that they got scared by Chifuyu's roar. All of them except for Raiden.

"Personal IS pilots are to gather! Orimura, Hataru, Alcott, Dunois, Bodewig, Huang, and...Shinonono!"

"Yes!"

Answering really loudly was Houki beside Ichika. Oh yeah, she can be considered as one with a personal IS. For some reason, Ichika developed this weird sense of anxiety from this panic.

However, halfway he noticed Houki stop and turn around.

The two of them saw Raiden alone merely looking out to the sea with an emotionless face. His arms were at his side and his fists clenched together.

"Perhaps it be wise to leave him be for a bit. He'll be back." said Ichika as he continued to walk to the Inn. But Houki stayed for a little longer and only gave a look of worry.

 _Raiden…why aren't you happy? Why do you not look pleased to finally see me have an IS? I want to fight alongside you in your battles but you don't seem particularly pleased. Why?_

* * *

"Now, let me explain the situation."

The room full of teachers and personal IS pilots, as we all gathered inside the deepest banquet hall of the resort, the Kachihana Room. The room with the lights still off has a large screen floating in mid-air.

"Two hours ago, the IS Silver Gospel, a 3rd generation military use IS that was developed by both America and Israel, went out of control in the test facility in Hawaii and left the surveillance facility."

Hearing Chifuyu's sudden explanation, Ichika was gob-smacked all of a sudden.

 _Huh? What? Military use IS? Out of control? Why must they inform us?_

Somewhat puzzled, he was rather mindful of the other members' reactions as he looked around.

All of them are looking serious.

Everyone else other than Houki, Raiden, and Ichika are official representatives of other countries, so maybe they've received training for this kind of situation. Laura's eyes are looking exceptionally serious.

"After that, through satellite tracking, we found that the Gospel will enter our air space, 2 km from here. That will happen in approximately 50 minutes from now. Thus, according to the Academy's higher-ups' jurisdiction, we have to deal with this situation."

Chifuyu calmly explained further on. What she said next came unexpected.

"All staff members are to use the Academy's training suits to seal off the air space and sea. The main operation will be done using personal IS'."

Chifuyu then said next to the surprise of everyone,

"Raiden will be beginning the battle procedure. Anyone with doubts, please raise your hand."

Cecilia immediately raised her hand, "What are the specs and data of the target IS?"

"These are the highest military secrets of Israel and the United States, so it definitely can't be revealed. Once the data's revealed, the parties involved will be court-martialed, and they have to take at least 2 years of probation."

Ichika didn't really understand the situation now, but including Cecilia, everyone present are already discussing about getting the data. Chifuyu explained the data as the blueprint of the Silver Gospel as it appeared.

"It's a unique long ranged type that's designed to clear the area...it seems that it can launch a full-scale attack capable of knocking enemy aircraft out. Its frame has enhanced attack and mobility. And the specs are better than even the Shenlong, so the opponent has a slight advantage. This unique armor however will be tough to handle. France sent a few Revive defensive equipment over, but I do feel that it's tough to defend against them consecutively. Looking at these figures, its fighting capability is still an unknown variable. The technology it has is also unknown. "

Everyone was seriously exchanging views as Chifuyu explained the mechanics. As for Ichika, he managed to recover from this chaotic situation, but he still can't catch up to them. Honestly, he was really useless.

"This machine's still moving at a supersonic speed. The maximum velocity it has is over 2450km/hr, so there's only one chance."

"Only one chance...that means, we can only launch a suit with a sure-kill attack, right?"

After hearing Yamada-sensei's words, everyone turned to Ichika.

"Huh...?"

"Reiraku Byakuya. Only that ability can harm the Silver Gospel." explained Raiden.

"If that is the case, we have one other problem." said Laura. "How are we going to send Ichika there? It'll be hard for us to succeed if we don't focus on the attack, but how are we going to move there?"

"And we have to catch up to a fast moving IS. The super sensors are important, right?" asked Charlotte.

"Ho-Hold on a minute! I-I'm going?" asked a frantic Ichika.

"OF COURSE!" The personal IS pilots but Raiden answered in unison.

"Orimura, this isn't training, it's a real battle. If you're not ready, don't force yourself."

Once Chifuyu said that, he immediately kicked off the cowardice in him.

"I'll do it. I'll do my best."

"Very good. Now, let's discuss the battle plan. Raiden."

Chifuyu handed it over to Raiden as his voice then turned into that of a commanding officer. He asked one simple question.

"Amongst all of us, who has the fastest speed?"

"My Blue Tears." said Cecilia with pride. "It just so happened that the Strike Gunner England sent over had a high-capability sensor equipped with it as well."

"Cecil, how long have you been training under supersonic mode?"

"20 hours."

"That's not enough. We need a faster IS that can match the speeds of the Gospel."

Raiden gets ready to start the planning, only to be interrupted by a super energetic voice.

"HOLD ON, HOLD ON! STOP WITH THAT STRATEGY~!"

And the voice came from the ceiling. Everyone looked up to see Tabane's head appearing upside down from the ceiling.

"...Yamada-sensei, please forcefully escort that person out."

"Huh? Ye-Yes! Ah, Professor Shinonono, please get her down first."

"TOU !"

 _Tou ja ne! (Whoo, my ass!) She is one slippery hare!_ thought Raiden.

Tabane-san flips a somersault in mid-air and lands. That gentle movement is something even a clown from a circus has to admire. How far is this person going to show her cards like that...

"Chi-chan Chi-chan, my brain's now printing an even more brilliant plan!"

"...Get out."

Chifuyu pressed against her head. Though Yamada-sensei wanted to follow orders and escort Tabane-san out, Tabane-san easily slipped away from her.

"Listen to me, listen to me! This is de~fin~ite~ly the time for Akatsubaki's debut!"

Immediately, Tabane was met by a punch to the jaw from the side as she didn't see it coming. But the punch came directly from Raiden, who used his full force into it, and sent Tabane flying across the room and hitting a wall. The outline of her impact made a large imprint before the rabbit girl fell to the ground, out cold.

Everyone had jaws dropped, except for Chifuyu. They had just witnessed a person literally punch the creator of the IS and knock her unconscious. He straightened himself up and shook the hand that punched her.

"Whew. I've been wanting to do that for a while. Anyway…where were we, Orimura-sensei?"

Chifuyu answered "You need an IS to match the Silver Gospel's speed."

"Right." Raiden then pulled up a holo of the Akatsubaki blueprint. "Look at Akatsubaki's specs. It can fly at supersonic speeds even without additional packets. Adjusting Akatsubaki's Fold-Out Armor can increase the speed of the IS and make it catch up in time to the Gospel."

"Fold-Out Armor? What's that?" asked Ichika.

"Fold-Out Armor is what Tabane stored inside the Akatsubaki, a fourth generation IS and the first of its kind." Chifuyu explained. "It enables the IS to configure itself to a form optimized for various roles, attack, mobility, or defense. The performance when activated becomes twice the capacity of normal status."

Ichika remembered that all the countries finally managed to enter the 3rd generation phase after so much experimenting. Why has reality jumped all the way to the 4th generation now?"

"This was already used on the Yukihira Niigata of the Byakushiki."

"Huh?"

What Chifuyu said caused every personal IS pilot other than Raiden to be stunned.

"The base construct when activating the Reiraku Byakuya of the Yukihira Niigata is actually the so-called Fold-Out Armor. If that's the case, Byakushiki itself, in a sense, is a 4th generation already. And because the development went well, Akatsubaki's entire armor is made of Fold-Out Armor. When the system is at its maximum ability, the specs will double."

"Ho-Hold, hold on a minute. Huh? Whole body? The armor's the same as Yukihira Niigata?" asked Cecilia. "That means..."

"It is the strongest IS in existence." concluded Raiden.

Everyone present is dumbfounded as they had turned to the unconscious Tabane who was still knocked out cold from the punch. The only one who didn't respond was Chifuyu as everyone's just shocked by what Raiden revealed.

"Also, Akatsubaki's Fold-Out Armor is of the instant configuration type, so it can change to attack, defense and mobility along the way. That is the aim of the 4th generation frame, a multi-type frame."

Everyone's silent. All the countries invested money, time, talent in an arms race to develop the 3rd Generation IS frame. And yet to everyone, all that was actually meaningless. How, how can there be such a thing in existence?

"Tabane overdid it anyway." Chifuyu broke the silence.

"Really? Hehe, I got too into it accidentally~" said the girl as she finally woke up.

Tabane-san seemed to have finally understood why we remained silent after Chifuyu explained it to her. She then went up to Raiden and, in a childish manner, shouted,

"WHY IN THE HELL WOULD YOU HIT A WOMAN LIKE THAT?! Do you have any idea how much that hurt?!"

Raiden completely ignored it and used his iron fan to knock Tabane out again. Despite the barrier being held up on her, she still felt immense pain.

"Shut…up." said the unemotional blind boy as everyone was shocked once again that he knocked the IS creator out cold…again.

"Anyway," Raiden continued. "Ichika, your Reiraku Byakuya will be the key in this battle, so don't use Ignition Boost too much. That would burn a lot of energy. Here's the plan for Operation Gospel."

Raiden then turned to Rin, Cecilia, Charlotte, and Laura as he pulled up a holomap. "You four, including myself, will remain on stand-by and block off any escape attempts that the Silver Gospel would likely take if it is fighting a one-sided battle. Cecilia, take to the skies and have your BITS patrol the southern portion of the island labeled **Charlie**. Laura, remain on the ground as artillery and if it attempts to escape, divert it with your railgun in the eastern section designated **Bravo** but stay out of sight. Rin, watch over the northern segment of the island labeled **Delta** but ensure that the target doesn't get to that area. Charlotte, with your sniper rifle, take position to the highest point here and keep a watch on the western post at **Echo**. Remain out of sight and observe only; I don't want anyone except for Ichika and Houki to battle the Silver Gospel."

"What about you?" asked Laura.

"I will be at position **Alfa** , keeping a watch on the battle while also keeping an overhead surveillance of the entire island. If the Gospel comes anywhere near your guys' positions, I will alert you over the comm. But I will say this once and once only: DO NOT engage the Silver Gospel if you ever catch sight of it! Clear?"

The four girls nodded in acknowledgement. Raiden then turned to Houki and Ichika.

"You two will be designated 'Gospel Hunter.' You are to relay your status when you find the Silver Gospel and engage it."

Houki and Ichika understood but deep in Houki's heart, she wanted Raiden to fight beside her. Then again, Ichika is an exception to her as a childhood friend.

"Then it's settled." said Chifuyu. "Operation Gospel begins at seven in the morning tomorrow. No room for mistakes; we only have one shot at this."


	12. Chapter 12: Operation Gospel

**CHAPTER 12**

The time had come. Seven o'clock in the morning and the July sky is as clear as ever as the strong sunlight lights the land.

Standing slightly apart from each other, Houki and Ichika were on the beach. After glancing at each other once, they nodded their heads.

"Come on out, Byakushiki."

"Let's go, Akatsubaki."

Their bodies got instantly covered in light, and the IS armors formed around us as a result. At the same time, the floating sensation caused by the PIC and the Power Assist bring lightness to the energy, causing their entire bodies to feel a change throughout.

"I'll leave it to you then, Houki."

"My pride would naturally prevent any man from mounting atop a woman, but I'll make a special exception this time."

In terms of the battle, Houki will have to do all the moving, which means Ichika will have to ride on her back. Houki didn't even protest to this unhappily after hearing this method as it seemed that her mood was incredibly good. Or was it?

 _But then again, is this really alright...? Houki got her personal IS less than a day ago, and no matter how good Tabane-san's personalization and the optimization are, the pilot can't possibly have it easy. I'll have to protect her if something happens._

Thinking about this, Ichika reinvigorates himself.

"Even so, it's good that we're here. If Ichika's with me, we can do anything. Isn't that right?"

"Well, that's right, but Houki, the teachers already said that this isn't training. We don't know what will happen in the actual battle, so we have to be really careful—"

"I know that. Fufu, what's wrong? Are you scared?"

"Of course not. I say, Houki—"

"Haha, don't worry, I'll send you to the destination properly. Just wait calmly."

Anyway, she's been like this since the beginning. Ichika can understand that she's really happy that she has a personal IS, but isn't she too happy now? At any moment, Ichika leapt onto the back of Houki's Akatsubaki, unable to get rid of that anxiety.

"Gospel Hunter, do you read me, over?"

Chifuyu's voice could be heard from the IS public channel. Houki and Ichika nodded their heads in response.

"We read you loud and clear."

"The main emphasis of this plan is to take it out in one strike. Remember, we have to win in a short time possible."

"Understood."

Even though she sounded really calm through her breathing, Houki sounded really happy, or rather, too happy. Hopefully, it's just Ichika worrying too much...but it can't be the same for Raiden.

"An-chan." Raiden called to Ichika on a private channel.

"Ye-Yes."

Raiden's voice came over through the private channel, and not the public channel he just used. Ichika frantically switched over to that line.

"Houki seems to be a little excited. Something may pop up in that situation. If anything happens, support her. Watch over her for me, okay?"

"Understood. I'll take note of that."

"I'm counting on you."

Then, Chifuyu commanded her voice to the public channel and gave the order,

"Then, begin Operation Gospel!"

* * *

Raiden was in the skies surveying the whole island from above. He then turned onto a channel and ordered "All IS, report in."

"Bravo, standing by." said Laura as she placed herself on the ground in an artillery position with her railgun pointed to the skies.

"Charlie, ready and waiting." answered Cecilia with her BITS patrolling as ever.

"Delta, good to go." called Rin as she brought her two scimitars together.

"Echo, in position." said Charlotte as she took a hidden position with her sniper rifle.

"Gospel Hunter, this is Alfa. We're in position. Have you made contact with target?"

Ichika answered and said "Not yet. We just—Wait! I see it! Proceeding to engage!" Houki and Ichika saw the Silver Gospel coming right for them and proceeded to engage.

Raiden turned his channel over to command and relayed "This is Alfa. Gospel Hunter has engaged the target. Everyone else is in position. Over."

"Solid copy, Alfa. Remain in your stations and proceed as planned. Over." said Chifuyu over the radio.

The Hyper Sensors visuals show the target as if Ichika was seeing it with his own eyes. As the name indicates, the Silver Gospel was indeed covered in silver. The strangest parts are the huge wings extending out from its head. According to the data, the silver-glow wings that are as shiny as the main body seem to have a lot of large boosters and wide-ranged shooting weapons.

Either way, there's no time to think on details and info. Ichika and Houki flew towards the rouge IS at high speed, and Ichika wielded the Yukihira Niigata in his hand.

"I'm going to accelerate! Reaching target in 10 seconds. Concentrate, Ichika!"

Houki boosts the output of the thrusters and the Fold-Out armor. The speed's really shocking as it closes the distance between the two frames at a high velocity. With Reiraku Byakuya's activated, Ichika also activated Ignition Boost at the same time to close in on the Gospel. But just when the blade of light was about to touch the Silver Gospel, the IS, to Ichika's surprise, actually turned towards him at maximum velocity and backed away in preparation for battle.

Since they were already in attacking range, it's too late to back away. If that's the case, it's better to finish it off before the opponent counters.

However—

* **Swoosh**!*

The Gospel's body suddenly swung beautifully, dodging Reiraku Byakuya's blade with inch-perfect precision. Even for an IS that has Passive Inertial Canceller, this movement's still extremely difficult to pull off.

"Ku...! Those wings accelerated? Back me up, Houki!"

"Got it!"

Anyway, it'll be bad for our side if we drag the battle on. Ichika allowed Houki cover his back as he attacked the Gospel with a slash. However, the Gospel swayed about gently and evaded at the last second, moving as if it was swimming or dancing. As the remaining time for the Reiraku Byakuya was really little, Ichika let out a huge swing at the Gospel after being bamboozled for so long.

And the Gospel didn't let go of this chance. The silver wings, the armor with the thrusters on it expanded out like wings. The Gospel pressed the wings forward to aim the cannons at Ichika. At the next moment, numerous bullets of light shoot out.

Those bullets were shot out with high pressure acting as the energy source, forming what looks like feathers. Ichika thought they would hit the IS armor, but they exploded at the next moment.

The main armaments of the Gospel seem to be some explosive-type energy bullets, but the problem is the quantity and speed—this so-called rapid fire is really fast. It's not really accurate, but since those are explosive bullets, one touch is enough to blow up a single crater.

"We're attacking from left and right, Houki! I'll leave the left to you!"

"Got it!"

Houki and Ichika continued to do complex evasive maneuvers as we attack the Gospel from both sides. However, their attacks couldn't even reach it. The Gospel uses the specialized movements to dodge the attacks and counter. The uniquely shaped wing thrusters are used quite a lot, unlike what the unique appearance would indicate.

"I'll stop its movements, Ichika!"

"Got it!"

After saying that, Houki uses her blades to stab and slash, activating the Fold-Out Armor on her wings to match up with the energy blades that are formed as she attacks. She uses Akatsubaki's mobility and the Fold-Out Armor on different places at different timings, using emergency acceleration to bring herself closer to the Gospel. This wave of powerful attacks forces the Gospel to defend itself.

"HHAAAA!"

Thinking about success, Ichika gripped the sword in his hands tightly, but unexpectedly, the Gospel counterattacked. The sharp sound of the machine rang. At that moment, the wing thrusters went all out blazing, 36 barrels in total, all aimed in different directions.

Houki dodged the rain of bullets at the last moment as she closed in on the attack—there's an opening.

However, Ichika was moving in a completely different direction, down at the sea below.

"Ichika!?"

"UOOOOOHHH!"

Ichika let the Ignition Boost and Reiraku Byakuya exert full power as he chased behind the last bullet and strike it down.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? THAT WAS A RARE CHANCE—"

"THERE'S A BOAT! THE TEACHERS SHOULD HAVE SEALED THE SEA OFF—DAMN IT, IT'S AN ILLEGAL TRAWLER!"

Even so, Ichika couldn't leave it behind like that. The light on the Yukihira Niigata disappeared, and the Fold-Out Armor disappeared as well...Ichika used up all his energy. He lost the one time to use it, and the key to this battle disappeared.

"YOU IDIOT! WHY ARE YOU PROTECTING CRIMINALS...CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE—"

"HOUKI!"

"-!"

"Houki, don—don't say such words, don't do that! To actually lose sight of the weak, after gaining power...what's wrong, Houki!? That's not like you, not at all!"

Houki seemed like she was trying to hide her obviously wavering face as she merely stood with a shocked expression. Seeing her dropped swords disappear into light, Ichika panicked.

"Gospel Hunter, watch it! Enemy is closing in on you fast! Get out of there now!" Raiden called over the channel.

"HOUKI-!"

Ichika threw his sword down and rushed towards Houki in a straight line, using all of his remaining energy to use Ignition Boost.

 _Please! I have to make it!_

In front of my eyes, the Silver Gospel again got ready to fire in the same manner, and it's now aiming at Houki. An IS armor with its energy lost is extremely weak, so even the 4th generation Akatsubaki should be about the same. Even if she preserves the energy of the Absolute Barrier, she won't be able to take a hit once she takes the Gospel's rapid-fire attack.

 _PLEASE! PLEASE! BYAKUSHIKI! COME ON!_

In the midst of this slow moving world, Ichika's vision did capture the movement of the light bullets. The next moment he rushed between the Silver Gospel and Houki. The moment he covered Houki by hugging her, all the explosive light bullets hit his back.

The shields weren't able to completely negate the continuous volley of attacks, and it seemed to hear the bones crack as the muscles also let out a cry of agony. After the armor got destroyed completely, the burning sensation hit the skin.

"ICHIKAAA!"

With his head below and legs above, Ichika used his last ounce of strength to hug Houki tightly to protect her head. After that, a huge splash of water could be heard, together with the impact that spread throughout.

"Shit!" said Raiden from what he saw above. He then called out to command and to the four personal IS pilots. "All IS. Regroup at Mark 7-Alpha. Sending coordinates. Command, Gospel Hunter is down. I repeat; Gospel Hunter is down!"

The four girls were all but shocked and assembled over to the rally point, where they saw Houki carrying an unconscious Ichika out of the water.

* * *

A failed operation. Chifuyu had clearly said that there were to be no room for mistakes and that there was only one shot at this.

And yet, in that one moment, everything went south.

"Operation failed. If there is a change in the situation, I will inform you. Until then, stand by for further orders."

Houki and the girls could only watch events unfold as the medical team put Ichika on the stretcher and fed him oxygen. The former merely kept her head down in shame before collapsing to her knees on the sand, even as Ichika was carried away.

Sunset arrived and yet, there was still no news. Everyone regrouped back at the Inn as Laura, Cecilia, Rin, and Charlotte merely sat outside the command room and waited for further orders. Ichika was being tended to and Houki was left to her own self. It be wise as to not intrude upon her in the meantime.

A knock was heard from the command center.

"Who is it?" asked Chifuyu.

"It's Dunois." said Charlotte.

"You have your orders. Remain on standby until further noticed."

The girls could only comply to that command yet had a look of concern on their face. All of them but Laura.

"We should do as the Instructor commands." said Laura.

"But I'm sure she's worried about Ichika, too." Charlotte exclaimed. "She is his older sister."

"He's not stirred at all." said Cecilia.

"She hasn't gone to see him since giving orders to treat him." remarked Rin as the three girls took a seat on the ledge while Laura remained her back to a pillar.

Laura all but asked "So what are you suggesting she do?"

Cecilia said "She's not spoken a word to Houki-san, either. The mission failed but even considering that, isn't she a bit too cold?"

"Right now, locating the Gospel is a priority. The Instructor is doing what she must."

The girls could only admit that fact before Laura continued,

"I'm sure it's difficult for her too. Because it's difficult for her, she's sequestering herself in the command room. Or are you saying we can eliminate the Gospel by worrying and seeing him?"

Silence then came upon the air for a brief moment. Then Charlotte changed the subject,

"By the way, has anyone seen Raiden?"

"I haven't seen him since the operation." said Rin.

"Last I heard, he told us to meet at the rendezvous point." said Cecilia.

"But…" said Charlotte. "Was Raiden even there?"

Rin answered "Last I saw, no. I'd assume he returned back to the Inn."

"But…Aniki's not at the Inn."

A silent atmosphere then came upon the group before the realization dawned upon them all, Laura included. Their eyes widened and their jaws were dropped at this fact.

Raiden was not at the rendezvous point. Nor was he at the Inn even now.

"Quick! To Alpha's room!" said Laura.

The four girls hurriedly sprinted to Raiden's room and opened the door to it. But when they arrived, they found it to be empty. All there was was a note and some sort of small recording device. On the note it said,

 _To Aneue._

The girls recognized that this was to Chifuyu. With the device in their hands, they raced back to the command room and, defying orders, opened the door.

"Did I ever give you permission to come in here?!" asked Chifuyu angrily.

"Orimura-sensei…" said Charlotte panting. "It's Raiden. He's not here."

"What?!" yelled Chifuyu as she turned around. Cecilia then held up the recording device and handed it to Chifuyu.

 _Otouto…What the hell are you thinking?!_

Chifuyu then handed the device to one of the teachers and ordered,

"Play the recording."

Connecting the device to the main screen frame, it showed Raiden's face.

"Chifuyu…" Raiden began. "If you're hearing this, then I may be dead. I want to let you know that though you may not agree, this was my decision to make. In the fight against the Silver Gospel, I noticed something was not right on the IS." Raiden then brought up footage of the previous operation.

"After replaying the footage over and over and looking closely at it, it came to the revelation that horrified me: there is a human pilot inside the IS. And she has no control over it." The entire room gasped except for Chifuyu and Laura who kept a stern look. A pause of the footage was shown that gave a clear view of the Silver Gospel before it zoomed in the golden hair that protruded from the IS itself. "The longer she is trapped within the IS, the more life-threatening it becomes for her. And every second wasted trying to determine its location would put a great deal of weight on all of us should she die, even if we manage to defeat the IS."

Raiden's image soon then appeared back on the main screen. "Soon, you will realize that I am missing from the Inn and have disable my navigation and communication systems on my IS. Whether you look for me or not is your choice. In the end, I could be either dead or come out alive and be suspended. Whatever punishment comes, I am ready for it." Raiden then took a moment for a breather before he continued.

"I do not expect forgiveness or pardon from you for what I am doing right now nor do I even plead for death or the fact of me trying to be some sort of hero which I would **never** do, but this is my choice. We cannot risk any more of our pilots to end up in the same situation as Ichika, can we not? If I don't make it, well…tell the girls, especially Houki, that they need to look out for one another and need each other if they ever want to be strong for Ichika." Chifuyu could then tell that Raiden looked directly into her eyes and had a face full of regret and of emptiness.

"I am sorry…Aneue. I truly am. And Houki…even though you were at fault for the operation, I do not hate you for it." Raiden's transmission finally ended.

The room was all but silent. No one had even dare to say a word. And everyone's reactions were but the same; shocked and stunned of everything they had heard.

But for one particular person, Chifuyu gripped her teeth and her fists before she ripped the recording device out and violently threw it against the wall with a scream that shook the whole room. The device shattered instantly and Chifuyu turned her attention to the matter at hand.

"Can we establish contact with Lion Heart?"

"Negative, ma'am." said one of the teachers at her desk. "We cannot even get a location on him."

"Keep trying! Find every damn possible way to get Lion Heart located and back here right here and right now! I don't want anyone, not a single damn one of you, to give up! Do you understand?!"

No one had ever seen Chifuyu this angry before. If she thought that having her one of younger brothers in critical condition was bad, allowing another younger brother to go on a suicide mission alone truly tested her wrath.

The four girls dared not to ask for what they could do and merely stepped out of the room and contemplated on what they had just watched. And yet, there was only one other girl who was not with them and decided to seek her out, but not just to relay the new information.

* * *

The sun had set and sundown was upon the island. For Houki however, she kept on running. Running and running as far as she could go before she tripped over and fell. Shame and despair were but the only things lurking on the girl's face. Questions about everything she had done and of the fault she had voiced within her mind. And yet, all she found was an absence of hope as she gripped the somewhat wet sand by the water.

 _How? How could I have failed? All I wanted was to help my friends…to help Raiden. But now…_

Looking out to the sea and standing up, she looked at her left arm that had her IS pendant in the form of a red bracelet with bells on it. The temptation to just take it off and throw it away urged her to do so. Yet even as she thought about it, she hesitated.

Then, Houki heard a voice and footsteps behind her. It was Rin, who for some reason kept a smile on her face that did not show evil yet it did not show any good either.

"Hey…"

Houki refused to look back and merely kept her head low.

"It was your fault after all. Orimura-sensei said there were to be no room for mistakes and now you are going to start blaming yourself for it all, aren't you?"

Rin then angrily walked up to Houki and grabbed her by the collar. The depressed girl made no attempt to fight back and merely allowed herself to be strangled.

"Don't you dare give me that!" yelled Rin. "You could have done something to prevent it all, right? How can you not fight after all of this?"

Houki stayed silent before she whispered loud enough for Rin to hear.

"I will never…pilot an IS again…"

Rin was now clearly ticked off and gave a full slap to Houki across the cheek. The girl took the full brunt of it and fell back to the sand floor, shaking in fear and shame.

With rage burning in her heart, Rin yelled "YOU IDIOT! Are you really going to give up after all of that? Do you really want to quit just because you could not protect Ichika?!"

"No…not Ichika." said Houki.

Rin immediately was confused and asked "What?"

"It was…not Ichika."

Rin grabbed Houki by the collar and forced her to stand up. Burning with something hotter than rage, she angrily yelled "WHAT?! You mean to tell me that it wasn't meant for Ichika and that you should've taken the hit?! Don't give me that crap!"

Houki then began to feel her anger rising from within her and said again "It was not…suppose to be for Ichika."

"If it was not meant for him, then who? Who was it that you failed?! WHO?!"

Houki finally reached her boiling point and tackled Rin to the ground before choking her. The Chinese girl was suddenly shocked to find herself being strangled by being choked by an uncontrollable Houki, who was once a depressed girl and now full of rage. She struggled against the grip and tried her best to get it off of her to no avail.

"IT WAS NOT SUPPOSE TO BE FOR ICHIKA! IT WAS NOT SUPPOSE TO BE FOR ICHIKA!"

Rin struggled against Houki's strong grip and air was leaving her quickly from her throat. She then asked in a wheezing voice "If it wasn't for Ichika, then…who…was it...meant for?"

Houki heard the question but did not listen as she was too busy choking the life on Rin. Her breathing became like that of a ragged bull and her anger increased rapidly. She then heard other footsteps and saw Charlotte, Cecilia, and Laura approach her with looks of fear and great worry. Houki was then aghast as she suddenly realized what she was doing and released her hold from Rin.

The Chinese girl coughed up and tried to breathe in while Houki stood up and backed away in fear while she looked at her hands. It was then that she saw flashbacks of Raiden in his Feral Mode from before and that those same claws held blood upon them from a victim. In that moment, she realized she had nearly killed someone unintentionally and collapsed to her knees, letting out a loud scream from her heart before getting down on all fours and breaking down into tears. She held her head into her hands as she could see the image of the dark lion clearly within her mind, growling and feasting on the blood of its victims. Even closing her eyes shut and denying the monster did no good.

Everyone could feel the pain that was emanating from her. While Cecilia and Laura tended to Rin, Charlotte went up to Houki and, kneeling down to her level, gave her a very gentle hug. She allowed Houki to let her tears soak into her uniform as she tried to calm the tremble of her shoulders. Cecilia soon entered and joined the hug, until Laura and Rin decided to join in.

After a few moments, Houki was surprised when she looked up to see her friends hugging her.

"Girls…" It was the first word she said after recovering from her struggle. The girls released their hug except for Charlotte, who kept an arm on Houki's shoulder. The girl looked up as her tears began to dry up.

"If it wasn't for Ichika…" Charlotte asked, "then was it for Raiden?" Houki was aghast to have learned that Charlotte figured out what she wanted. In shame and regret, Houki lowered her head down and answered weakly,

"…Yes."

The girls kept their looks yet acknowledged and finally understood it all. Everything that had happened since the Akatsubaki's arrival was, in Houki's mind, meant to help Raiden in battle. While they understood of Akatsubaki's abilities and how it can be of use to Byakushiki, Houki had the IS have its fair share of data from Lion Heart, granting her animalistic-like instincts. They then understood that Houki had developed something for Raiden that she formerly had for her childhood friend.

Love.

"I just…" Houki said weakly and softly as new tears begin to form from her eyes. "I just didn't want to see him suffer any more. Not after…what had happened to him."

"If you want to help Raiden, you can help him now." said Charlotte.

Houki looked up and asked "Huh? What do you mean?"

Charlotte then explained "Raiden has gone after the Silver Gospel…alone."

Houki was immediately shocked and proximately said,

"What?!"

"It's not too late, though." reassured Cecilia. "We can still make it to him."

This didn't even convince Houki about the fact that the one boy she had fallen in love with was engaging the IS in a suicide mission all alone. She then said in a panic,

"But how? We don't even know where it is! If Raiden is there fighting, then I want to fight alongside him!"

Seeing Houki finally getting motivated again, Rin sighed slightly.

"Finally. It took for you a while to recover."

"Wha-What?"

"We know where the enemy, and Raiden, are right now. Laura."

As Rin spoke, Laura partially deployed her IS and pulled up a holomap.

"According to the recent confirmation, the target's more than 30km away above the sea. It's in stealth mode, but it doesn't seem to have used optical camouflage, so the satellites could pick it up. And I've managed to track Alpha's location as well despite him disabling his navigation systems. He's already locked onto the IS."

"Can we establish a comm link to him?" asked Rin.

"Negative." said the German girl. "He's cut it off as well."

"As expected of the German special forces, you're really something."

"Humph...what about you? Are you ready?"

"Of course, Shenlong's good to go. I wanted to ask how were Charlotte and Cecilia doing."

"Just finished." said Charlotte.

"All preparations are A-Okay, we're ready to move out." said Cecilia.

As all the pilots with personal IS gathered, they all turn to look at Houki.

"So, what do you intend to do? Do you want to go out there and fight alongside Raiden?" asked Charlotte.

"I...I—"

Houki clenched her fists tight. Unlike the remorse she showed just now, this was a show of determination.

"I want to fight...I must fight, I must win! I can't allow myself to lose now! I want to be there for Raiden!"

"Then it's decided!"

Rin folded her arms in front of her chest, revealing a fearless smile.

"Then, let's begin the battle planning! We'll take down the enemy for sure this time! But we need to be careful; Raiden said that there is a human pilot inside that IS so we can't do too much damage."

"Yes!"

Houki then turned to Rin and, with a face of remorse, said "Rin…I'm so sorry."

But Rin kept a smile and shrugged it off saying "Don't worry about it. We'll make sure you get to Raiden."

Houki was relieved and kept a smile of determination as hope filled her heart to get to the blind boy. Together, the girls deployed there is and took off to the Silver Gospel…and to Raiden.

 _Hold on, Raiden. I'm on the way. This time…This time, I will protect you._


	13. Chapter 13: Operation Gospel (Take 2)

**CHAPTER 13**

They've been at it for hours now. Raiden and the Silver Gospel were all but engaging and fighting one another. Raiden however, was trying to make sure that the human pilot inside is kept alive and had to be careful where he made the hit. Unfortunately, it has costed him greatly as his shields were depleting and his IS starting to crack. Despite their differences in generations and in speed, the two combatants almost looked even with one another.

Raiden blocks a strike with the gunblade from the Silver Gospel as it attempted to punch him. He brought a Velvet Nightmare from his waist and fired at point blank to the Gospel, making it back off and flying away from Raiden's shots.

The Silver Gospel fires back at Raiden which makes him dodge nearly all of the shots, some of it grazing on him. He fires his lascannons that were deployed from his wings as two beams traveled towards the opposing IS. The Gospel dodged one beam and took the full brunt of the other before dispersing it.

The two combatants went back to melee fighting as the Gospel caught Raiden's blade with both hands from a horizontal swing. Raiden then headbutted into the IS which stunned it for a bit before he swung at it to leave a mark before pulling the trigger of his gunblade and backing off, damaging the IS and pushing it back before they charged in again.

The Gospel, however, manage to slip past Raiden before coming around fast and kneeing him into the stomach. Raiden couldn't react in time to block the strike and lost his gunblade as it fell out of his hands. He tried to pull out his Velvet Nightmares but they were kicked away from the Gospel before his head was grabbed and the Gospel rammed its knee into Raiden's face, breaking the lion helmet in half and keeping one half on Raiden that revealed his right face.

Raiden was immediately stunned and tried to straighten his vision to no avail. The Silver Gospel unleashed a volley of beams from its wings at Raiden before coming around and firing him again. Raiden was all but being butchered at this point by the IS to the point where his shields ran out of energy and his IS was being chipped away piece by piece.

Raiden was battered and bleeding all over as the Gospel continued to pommel him. He tried to summon his weapons again but the Gospel was too fast in its attacks. It delivered an uppercut to Raiden's stomach, making him spew a little blood before being grabbed by the leg and punched straight into the face.

Raiden was immediately grabbed and strangled by the Silver Gospel before it was hit from behind a shot that came from Laura's railgun. It turned to see that the girls had arrived, ready to do battle. But what they saw next shook them.

The Silver Gospel then strangled Raiden's neck and brought him up front as the blind boy, with half of his lion helmet gone, struggled against the tight grip around his neck.

"Raiden!" shouted Houki. As Raiden saw Houki, his face turned to dread as he slowly reached out his right hand to Houki.

"Hou…ki…"

But then the Silver Gospel released Raiden and unleashed a full volley of shots right at Raiden's back at point blank range. An explosion occurred later as the girls saw, with a look of fear upon their faces, Raiden in immense pain and coughing up blood in the process before giving his last breath. He was then grabbed by the Silver Gospel and thrown into the cliffside before being pommeled again by the volley of beams, causing a rock fall that buried the blind boy under the rubble.

The girls were stunned and Houki, full of rage, charged forth at the Silver Gospel with her swords. At this point, all that she wanted to do was make the Silver Gospel pay; not just to Ichika but also of Raiden.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

The girls then joined in on the attack. Cecilia unleashed her BITS at the Gospel while Rin joined with Houki to melee with the IS. Laura took an artillery position on the ground so as to provide support and Charles provided back-up for Cecilia.

Houki got distracted for a bit to see Raiden emerge from the rubble which gave the Silver Gospel opportunity to fire at her to which she could not dodge. Charlotte got her out just in time and the Gospel was diverted by Cecilia's BITS.

"Houki, you need to focus! Stick with the plan as before." said Charlotte.

"But Raiden…"

Charlotte put a reassured hand on her shoulder. "We'll help him once we finish this. But for now, we have to take care of the IS."

Houki turned to the pile of rubble that held Raiden before she left off a sigh and said,

"Okay."

Meanwhile, Raiden could barely make of the battle that was being seen in his vision. Pain wrecked his body and he was bleeding from all over. With no choice, Raiden activated his navigation systems and sent a transmission to the Inn.

"This is…Lion Heart. Sustained…heavy damage…Requesting…medic. Coordinates sent."

Back at the Inn, the sound of a beeper went off. One of the monitor girls picked up the transmission.

"Orimura-sensei, I've picked up something. It's Lion Heart."

She then played the transmission for Chifuyu and immediately, she said,

"Send a medical team to that location, now! On the double, people!"

The medic team was then dispatched as they hurriedly ran over to Raiden's location. Chifuyu, back at the Inn, said to herself in her mind,

 _Hold on, Otouto. Just hold on!_

The girls continued their engagement of the Silver Gospel but were careful as to not damage it too much lest that they want to keep their human pilot alive.

Laura was on the ground continuing to fire as artillery support at the Silver Gospel while Rin tried to keep it busy. Laura then looked to see a medic team arrive and warned the girls,

"Everyone! The medic team is here to pick up Alpha. Watch your fire!"

Once the medics arrived to Raiden, they saw he was fading fast. Quickly getting the rocks and boulders off of him, they kept pressure on his wounds and fed him oxygen to keep him stable. By then, they lifted him onto the stretcher. As soon as Laura saw that Raiden was being safely carried away, she radioed in,

"Alpha is secured. Repeat; Alpha is secured."

Raiden could only watch the battle in the skies unfold before he closed his eyes form behind his blindfold and fell into unconsciousness while being carried away.

* * *

Blackness. Darkness. Void. That was all that could be seen. In a realm of emptiness lies only nothingness. For the only one floating within was Raiden. And yet, despite all that was seen and despite the very stillness that filled the atmosphere, one thing became very clear to him.

He was not alone.

"You have done well." spoke an angelic female voice. Raiden immediately sat up and looked around to hear but he only saw pitch black darkness.

The angelic voice continued "You have gone through much."

"But there will be more." Another voice said that was more of a dark and animalistic voice. It was not menacing but the aura it gave off was truly something to behold.

Then, the entire area was divided. On one hand, you had a blue and white ocean-like landscape in whose gentle aura was calm and peaceful. At its center, giving off somewhat of a bright light, stood a woman of white hair that flowed gently as the sea breeze rolled over her. Her face could not be seen however yet she wore a simple white dress that covered her from head to toe. On the other side, the landscape was black and purple and color and the aura it gave was that of chaos, everything twisting and turning. From the darkness sat a lion that was black in color yet gave off a purple fiery mascara from its eyes.

Raiden was confronted by the two beings as they approached him. The angelic woman then spoke "You have been granted great power."

"Power that can be used to change." said the lion.

"The change will come when you must make a decision to decide on what you must do."

"The question is…what will that change be?"

Raiden could only look at the two beings in awe, if not a bit in confusion. Yet he heard and took in the strange words that they had said to him. Not only that, but they did not even bother to tell him who or what they are.

However, they seem familiar to him; at least, that's how he thinks.

Before Raiden could ask, light shined upon them and Raiden slowly opened his eyes to find himself back in reality.

It was but a blue sky yet the sun had not risen yet from the horizon. For Raiden, bright lights were the only thing he felt on him as he woke up. He found himself in a tatami room in a futon with a monitor next to him, beeping so often on his heart rate. Raiden tried to sit up but he was immediately held back down but not by a hand as most would think.

Pain wrecked his body which caused him to lay back. Raiden then held his head because of a swell of a headache that he just felt rushing to him. The pain felt like a migraine of sorts but Raiden could feel that he wasn't sick.

"Looks like you're awake." spoke a voice to Raiden's left. He turned to see Chifuyu who was giving a very stern look and glare at Raiden. But this glare was not one of her usual ones. In fact, this was something Raiden became aware of immediately.

It was a face of anger. And Chifuyu spoke in a harsh and cold tone rather than a pure outburst.

"You went after the Silver Gospel alone without any backup despite my orders to tell you to remain on stand-by. Not only that, but you disabled your navigation and communication systems, thereby cutting off all forms of reports and positions from your IS to ensure you are not being followed so that the others will not end up as Ichika. And yet, you came back unconscious and near death, knowing that going after the Silver Gospel would be a suicide mission and that you almost cause a national crisis."

Raiden could make no comment on this as he turned his head away in fear. This was truly a debate in his mind because he wondered whether what he did was foolish or necessarily right. But even then, once Raiden would make a decision, he would act on it regardless.

After a brief moment of pure silence, Chifuyu did something totally unexpected to Raiden that even made him gasp in surprise.

Chifuyu passionately hugged him and began to shed her tears, crying out in somewhat loud sobs.

Raiden was stunned but he slowly hugged Chifuyu back with his right arm given that his left arm was crushed between Chifuyu's hug and himself. After a few moments, Chifuyu let go before looking close to her little brother with a smile and tears coming down.

"Idiot. You sure know how to worry me…"

"You could say the same for Ichika." responded Raiden, making Chifuyu chuckle.

"Your wounds are almost healed. You'll be getting up soon. But first…I think an idiot wants to pay you a visit."

"Harsh." commented Raiden.

"It's the thought that counts." said Chifuyu but before she could leave, Raiden grabbed the cuff of her jacket with his left hand and asked one question.

"You still haven't given up on me?"

Chifuyu could only smile before she leaned herself to Raiden's head and give him a kiss. She then pressed her forehead to Raiden's in an affectionate sisterly fashion. She then answered the question simply.

"And I never will."

As soon as Chifuyu left, the room was silent only for a brief moment before Ichika emerged from the door and came to Raiden's side.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" asked Ichika.

Raiden dodged the question and jokingly said. "That's a question I should ask of you."

Ichika gave a chuckle and answered "I'm good. My injuries weren't too bad."

"Well," said Raiden. "I guess there's one thing we can agree on for both of us."

The two boys gave a laugh before Raiden gave a cough because of a small pain in his chest before he took a breather.

"I better get going. The girls don't have much time." said Ichika.

"Be careful." said Raiden. "The Silver Gospel has a human pilot inside of it. Whatever you do…make sure stays intact."

"I will. And I'll be sure to win this time." said Ichika.

Before he left, Raiden stopped him and gave Ichika something to Ichika. It was a small red box wrapped with a red and white hair ribbon tied to it.

"Ichika. Give these to her. It's her birthday, right? She looks better with the hair ribbon; and the necklace is a bonus. And, make sure she knows they're from me."

Ichika gave a confused look yet said "I will." He then took the items and stuffed them in his pocket. Raiden then said one thing,

"I'm counting on you...An-chan." Raiden extended his left forearm to which Ichika responded back with a grasp of his left forearm and said,

"Only for you…Anisama."

In that moment, it became clear to the both of them as they grasped each other's forearms.

They were friends but more than all, they were brothers.

Ichika then took off as Raiden was then left alone in the room and soon fell back asleep, but not before he turned on a song from his IS on repeat that made him fall asleep afterwards. As the song played, he thought of Houki appear in his mind.

 _Shizuka ni otozureru ironaki sekai_

 _Subete no toki o tome nemuri ni tsuku_

 _Kanashimi yorokobi o atsumete hito wa_

 _Nagareshi toki no naka yasuragi miru_

 _Umareiki kiete yuku hito no sadame no naka_

 _Dare mo mina sora no hoshi ni kasukana negai takusu_

 _Hisoka ni kagayakeru manten no hoshi_

 _Chihei no kanata e to nagare kieru_

 _Iroduki hajimeta daichi no ue o_

 _Mujou na toki dake ga fukinukete ku_

 _Kaze ni yuru midori no saki ashita e to tuduite_

 _Atarashiki toki no naka egao no hana o sakasu_

 _Umareiki kiete yuku hito no sadame no naka_

 _Dare mo mina sora no hoshi ni kasukana negai takusu_

 _Shizuka ni otozureru mabayuki sekai_

 _Subete no toki o umi saki midareru_

* * *

By the time that Raiden had recovered and was able to walk, Ichika and the girls managed to defeat the Silver Gospel, along with keeping the human pilot inside of it alive. Raiden was relieved yet decided to return to his room for some alone time.

Hours after the mission, the five girls and Ichika stood by the entrance to the Inn in line, with Chifuyu and Yamada-sensei present at the scene. Chifuyu then began a lecture with a strict voice.

"Mission completed. You did a job well done…by going behind my back and defying my orders for you all to stand-by while almost causing an international incident in the process. Once we return to the Academy, you are to write a letter of remorse, so be prepared for a special schedule that I've made just for you."

The group acknowledged with a "yes" but, although their faces don't show it, they were filled with dread, almost as if all they had done was for nothing.

"Um…" Yamada-sensei spoke up in fear. "Orimura-sensei, shouldn't we at least give them a break? They have had a rough day after all and need to recuperate."

"Hmph…Very well. Get some rest all of you." said Chifuyu.

Cecilia then asked a question. "Um…Orimura-sensei, how is Aniki?"

Everyone's minds were soon turned to Raiden as they had heard of how Raiden was injured severely before being recovered by the medics. Chifuyu then simply stated,

"He's alright. And he is awake. If you want, you can go meet him in his room."

The group was then dispersed but for Houki, unexpected for everyone, merely returned to her own room instead of going to see Raiden. In her mind, fear was the only thing that was on her mind. Doubt had taken a hold on her and yet, even as she wore the new hair ribbon along with the fox necklace and was extremely happy for it, she didn't think she was willing to see Raiden.

Only one question lingered on her mind.

 _Will he ever forgive me?_

* * *

As the girls and Ichika took a seat and casually ate away their meals, some of the girls came up and asked all kinds of questions. The group kept a stoic posture and had their eyes closed, showing a face of firmness to deny the girls' unending questions.

"Come on. What happened? Tell us."

"Was there really a pilot in that IS?"

"Was the battle scary?" asked Honne Nohotoke.

"What even caused the Gospel to go out of control?"

"It's highly classified." said Charlotte.

"Besides, we don't even know the details." said Rin as she took a sip of her tea.

"Not to mention that it's been a long day for all of us." said Cecilia.

Laura then gave somewhat of a threatening look and warned "And if you learn the details, you will be sanctioned, as well. Are you content with that?"

The girls backed off and one of them said "I guess I don't want that. I mean, we don't want to have someone always on our tail."

"Huh? That's odd. Where's Raiden…and Houki?" asked Ichika.

* * *

Night fell upon the world once more as Tabane Shinonono casually sat on the edge of the cliff and musing on recent events. She pulled up the holos of the fight and yet as she did, pulled up two of them and arranged them side by side. One of them was the Akatsubaki and the other was Lion Heart.

"No wonder why my sister wanted to be linked to the lion boy. Her results exceeded more than what I thought. And her performances are three times as better; much more than Byakushiki."

Tabane dispersed the holos and merely looked out to the blue ocean. "Byakushiki really is amazing though. To think that it can revive a pilot. It's just like—"

"The White Knight." spoke a voice behind Tabane who was leaning on a tree and having her back to Tabane as the two did not turn to look at each other. Chifuyu showed herself briefly from the moonlight and even then, their expressions to each other were understandable.

"Core Number 001. The very first core you created and the one you spent the most effort on. To think that Lion Heart's core could actually surpass it though…"

"Hey, Chi-chan."

The two were silent for a bit as they merely heard the sound of the waves gently coming up onto the beach shore before going back. Chifuyu then broke the silence,

"Tell me something, Tabane."

"What's that?"

"A certain genius deliberately made a boy mistake his high school entrance exam location and put the IS there such that it could only be activated at that time. If that's the case, the IS that shouldn't be operated by men becomes pilotable, right?"

"Hm~? But if that happens, he can't continue to pilot it, right?"

"That's right. You won't waste so much time to do such a thing anyway."

"Hehehe, because I'll get tired of it."

"...Then what's the truth? A certain genius?"

"Who knows? Fufufu, actually, I don't understand why Byakushiki activates. Logically speaking, Ii-kun and IS research are completely unrelated, right?"

"Humph...forget about it. Next hypothesis then. A certain genius wanted to let her beloved imouto's IS grace the stage, so she prepared a personal IS and an IS going rampant."

Tabane didn't answer, and Chifuyu continued on.

"As the incident happened, the new model hi-capability machine could take part in battle. This genius' imouto could gracefully enter the stage as a personal IS pilot."

"Heh~ that's a really unbelievable assumption. It seems like such an amazing genius exists."

"Yup, such a genius exists. That genius once hacked 12 countries' military missiles to create a famous incident in history."

Tabane didn't answer, and Chifuyu didn't continue. But now, it was Tabane's turn to tell Chifuyu something.

"But if this genius has something that even she cannot understand, it is of the other boy."

"Oh?"

"To be honest, I had no knowledge that such an orphan would one day grow up to be a pilot. Not to mention that he gets to have an IS that I never made, not even its core."

"But you did know that his parents were involved in the IS, did you not?"

"Yeah. And even then, I never imagined the son to carry on the legacy of two great people. Such a peculiar anomaly and even I cannot understand him or his IS. However," Tabane's tone then changed to be very serious. "You best be careful around him, Chi-chan. You may be dealing with something that is equivalent to that of God himself."

This perked up Chifuyu's interest and asked "What makes you say that?"

"I don't know." Tabane answered. "But it ought to be interesting to see where his path of revenge leads."

Silence came upon the two once again before Tabane asked in her usual voice, "Hey, Chi-chan, is the world you're living in interesting?"

"No more than usual, I guess." answered Chifuyu.

"I see..."

The strong wind that blew up the headland let out a roar. After saying a few words in that wind, Tabane disappeared. Chifuyu sighed and leaned the back of her head on the tree branch. The voice in her mouth disappeared together with the sea breeze.

* * *

Meanwhile, Raiden was at the water's edge in his trunks and black tank top. His mind was but filled with so many questions if he what he did was right or not. But it was not the only thing he was focused on. The woman of white hair and the dark lion, each in their respective domains. What were they? Moreover, who were they? And will they continue to appear to him in the future ahead?

As he pondered, he heard footsteps from behind him. He turned around and saw the familiar figure in a white bikini and long ponytail.

"Houki?"

The two of them continued to stare at each other before Houki, with an embarrassed face, said "Do-Don't stare at me like that…I-I can't stay calm like this…"

Raiden sighed happily and turned around.

"Sorry. You just look so beautiful in that suit, especially with the moonlight tonight."

Houki blushed like mad and decided to sit next to Raiden as the two merely watched over the calm ocean with the lighthouse ever turning its light around the clock.

Silence only filled the air before Houki asked "How…How are your injuries?"

"They aren't bad." said Raiden as he looked over himself. "I've had worse, remember?"

But Houki could only put her head down in shame. She tried her best to ensure that Raiden did not see her humiliated face and even tried to turn away. Only guilt filled her heart as did shame. Unfortunately for her, Raiden took notice of her and said,

"Alright. You have something you want to say, so spill it out. I'm all ears."

Houki was a bit shocked and yet she was afraid. Knowing that lying would not work out of her situation, she decided to be direct and honest.

"I-I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Raiden asked with a slight tilt of the head.

"It was my fault." said Houki as tears began to slowly form. "The entire thing; getting a Personal IS from my sister, sharing your data with mine, letting you go after the Silver Gospel alone? All I wanted to do was protect you, to help you."

Brief flashbacks of the Golem IS incident popped up in her mind where she saw Raiden beaten to a bloody pulp. Houki could only wheeze in her breathing that became erratic and her hands and shoulders began to slowly shake, her tears slowly falling onto her lap.

"And yet, you went on alone, almost got killed...again! Had we not been there, you probably would not have survived. No, you would have never survived. And yet, I put you in that situation. I don't deserve…to be worth anything to you."

Houki was about to continue when she was suddenly pulled into a hug from behind by no one other than Raiden himself. His left arm was wrapped around her exposed stomach and the right one above her cleavage. His head came to rest on her right shoulder and Houki could not escape the somewhat tight grip that Raiden held on her.

Houki immediately blushed at the situation and became shocked but calmed herself down and rested each of her hands on each of Raiden's arms. Confusion was all that was in her mind as she wondered why Raiden would do this.

"Raiden?"

"Houki," said Raiden. "I never had nor will I ever blame you for what you did. Yes, the operation was your fault but to simply hate you because of that would be pointless. In the end, you became something much stronger even than I. You did what you wanted to do and I am happy for you. So long as you learned and the fact that you are safe, that is more than enough for me."

Houki felt herself begin to calm down little by little and wiped the tears from her eyes. Raiden then continued saying "Besides, I could have someone I care most for by my side." He then began to nuzzle her neck gently, which made her blush yet began to feel calm.

Houki, slowly but surely, began to smile and felt a serenity within her soul. She would have initially thought Raiden would hate her but through his wise words and his forgiveness, those thoughts immediately left her mind and never came back. She could hear Raiden's breath by her ear and turned to face him as did he.

The two stayed in their hugged position as Houki's right hand came to Raiden's right cheek. And yet the two continued to stare into each other's eyes. Their breathing tickled their lips until, slowly but surely, their lips met and the moonlight shined down upon them.

Houki was at a loss of words and thoughts as it was her first kiss ever to a boy. Initially, she would've thought it would have been Ichika that she would have shared her first kiss with but to Raiden, she thought it would never happen. The kiss felt like an eternity had passed by as they continued before Houki found herself in front of Raiden with her arms snaked around his neck and Raiden's around her hips.

As they separated, the two smiled and their foreheads touched each other. Raiden then took a notice of something around Houki's neck.

"I see you're wearing your birthday present."

"Huh?" Houki was confused before she looked down and saw the necklace. "Ah." Houki had smiled and Raiden asked "Sorry I didn't give it to you personally, but do you like it?"

Houki smiled and said "I love it. It's so beautiful."

Raiden could only be happy as the two went for another kiss.

"Houki…" asked Raiden which prompted her to look up. "I trust you so much. You heard of my story and have comforted me when I needed it most. Because of this, I want you to see who I am…behind this cloth."

Houki's eyes widened as she had realized what Raiden asked of her: he wanted her to see the scars of his eyes.

"Raiden…are you sure?" asked Houki who was a little fearful of it.

Raiden only smiled and said "You are one of the only girls I can trust to keep this dark secret. Be warned that it may forever change you but I trust you enough to look behind it. So, please…remove this blindfold."

Houki did as asked and, after untying the knot behind his head, allowed the blindfold to fall and Houki's eyes widened of what she had saw.


	14. Interlude: A Kitten's Relief

**CHAPTER 13.5**

It was time to leave the Inn. The last few days were spent and although everyone wanted to stay, there was work to be done. For two people however, they felt that this trip was worth it.

As soon as Houki and Raiden got on board the bus and sat in their seats together, the former had kept a big smile of comfort. She was still reflecting on that first kiss that night, along with sleeping with Raiden afterwards. At least, no one knew they were sleeping together and that they didn't…make love during that night. It was probably a wise move anyway. But at this point, Raiden was hers…for the time being.

Some of the girls had taken notice of the two together and gossiped amongst themselves whether they were together or not. Even Ichika and the other girls were surprised of this.

Wanting answers, they decided to speak to the two.

"Psst. Raiden." whispered Rin from behind his seat.

Once Raiden heard the voice, Houki immediately shot up and tried to keep a composure. Unfortunately, she couldn't hide her blush that was across her face.

"We don't mean to be rude. But umm…" Charlotte all but hesitated. She couldn't exactly find the right words.

"Are you two together?" asked Ichika loudly, prompting the boy to get pommeled by Cecilia and Rin.

"Ichika! You shouldn't ask that question casually!" said Cecilia.

Ichika was a little frightened yet kept a sheepish smile. Raiden was not even surprised.

"Y-You…" The group turned over to see Houki with a face of pure embarrassment as it looked like she was ready to just burst out. What it would be exactly, no one knows for sure.

Luckily for her, Raiden answered the question and said,

"No. Not yet. But we are very close. Right?"

"Oh…Uh, yeah. We're just very close. That's all." Houki gave an embarrassing laugh. She knew in her heart, as did Raiden, that their bond was very strong but the flowers of love have yet to bloom.

"Hay, who's that!" yelled Honne Nohotoke, still in her fox cosplay. Has she not taken that thing off yet?

The woman appeared to be an American blonde with steely silver eyes in her mid-twenties. She seemed to be looking at the crowd in the bus before she spotted the two boys.

"Excuse me, is Orimura Ichika-san here? Along with Hataru Raiden-sama?"

"Ah, yes, that's us."

It just so happened that Ichika and Raiden were sitting at the front-most seat, and Ichika immediately responded once their names got called.

"Let me guess. Natasha Fairs of the Silver Gospel?" asked Raiden.

"That's me." The blonde American walked towards them with a smile and said "I just wanted to give my gratitude to the two men who saved my life. And this…"

Natasha leaned in and tried to give a kiss to Raiden but the blind boy was smart and grabbed Ichika and held him up for a shield.

 _ICHIKA BARRIER!_

Ichika immediately got stunned and confused once Natasha gave the kiss. After she let go, Raiden let go and Ichika sat back on his seat with a red face and stunned expression. Natasha took her seat behind Chifuyu and Yamada-sensei, giving a wink to the two boys. Did she even know she gave a kiss to Ichika and not to Raiden?

"Ichika." Three voices growled from behind Ichika as he turned to see Rin, Cecilia, and Laura with scowls on their faces.

Charlotte could only sigh and looked to Raiden, who gave a sigh of relief, knowing that he didn't get kissed by an American.

 _Well…I feel bad for Ichika but he's got his own problem. As for me…_

Charlotte looked to see Houki and Raiden together. While a part of her was jealous for the fact that Raiden belonged to Houki for the time being, she reminded herself that Houki went through all the trouble of her personal IS just to help the blind boy. So, with compassion and acceptance, she happily allowed them to be. But now Houki is one step ahead of her, which means she has got to plan to catch up somehow.

While Ichika was being poorly pommeled by the girls and Charlotte content to watch and not get involved, Raiden merely looked out the window while he had his music in his ears and Houki was starting to fall asleep. It was then that her head leaned over to the left and landed on Raiden's shoulder. Once Raiden looked over, he could only smile and let his head gently rest on hers as the both of them fell asleep.

Once the bus had returned to the Academy, Raiden was still fast asleep, as was Houki. They both had an earplug in one of their ears. It turns out Houki caught onto Raiden listening to his music and quietly took one of them and instilled it into her ear.

* * *

"Houki. Raiden." Ichika woke the two up, albeit with groggy eyes. After a stretch of their arms, Houki asked,

"Morning already?"

"We just got back. Come on. Everyone's almost out of the bus."

Houki left first before Raiden got out. While Ichika went on, the two went on and took their time.

"Hey…" said Houki.

"Hmm?" Raiden turns his head over to the samurai girl.

"I…I had a fun time at the Inn."

"As did I. It wouldn't be fun if one was there without the other."

Houki could only agree with a blush.

"Do you have plans for summer?" asked the girl.

"Hmm…Not that I know of." answered Raiden. "But I'll think of something. I just need to clear a few things first."

"Few things?" asked Houki.

Raiden immediately thought of Tatenashi. How was he going to explain of his close bond to Houki now?

"It's personal." said Raiden, making Houki understand. The two made their way back to Raiden's dorm room. Raiden then turned to Houki and merely gave a smile.

"I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay."

Raiden entered his dorm room and closed the door. Still a little bit tired, Raiden decided to take his clothes off and have a cold shower. They say that cold showers can help you fall asleep better if given the right temperature.

Right after his shower, Raiden put on a tank-top along with some briefs and tucked himself to bed. A lion has got to have his sleep anyway.

A couple hours were all that was needed. As soon as Raiden woke however, he felt something soft on his chest. He looked to see his tank-top was rolled up that exposed his chest. There was something underneath the blanket and Raiden looked under it to see a familiar blunette roommate of his.

Tatenashi was fast asleep, wearing only her bra and her thong. When did she even get in here? At any rate, it didn't matter. Raiden kissed the girl's head who awoke a little later.

"Hey…" said Raiden. "Sleep well?"

Tatenashi rubbed her eyes and gave a smile and said "Much. Especially with you."

She began to snake one of her legs around Raiden's as the boy gently stroked her back before coming to the edge of her rear.

But then Tatenashi had a serious face. A face rarely seen among this sneaky blunnette cat. Raiden saw this yet and waited with ears open to hear what Tatenashi had to say. It became clear to him of one thing.

Tatenashi was a little angry.

"I read the report of the Silver Gospel." said Tatenashi.

Raiden asked "How much?"

"Everything, including your solo fight."

Raiden could only remain expressionless when he heard of this until he gave a faint sigh through his nostrils.

"Why?" asked the girl, prompting Raiden to look up. "Why must you always be like this? Going off on your own and getting yourself killed in the process? Don't you have any idea how much you made me worried when you were in a coma last time?"

"Tatenashi…"

The blunette girl continued. "It was my job to aid you. To protect you. To help you recover from your depression. But now…" Tears began to form as the girl was now at a last of words. She lowered her head and refused to look at Raiden anymore as her tears slowly drizzled down her face, a few landing on Raiden's chest.

For the first time, Raiden saw Tatenashi with a very sad look.

This prompted the blind boy to sit up a little with the blunnette girl. Tatenashi gave a confused look yet still lowered her head in shame. Raiden however, cupped her chin with his right hand, and gave a kiss of comfort and love that shocked her a little.

"Don't. Don't say that you failed. You did what you could to the best of your talents and I am so grateful for that. It was through you that I could change."

"But…But I-" She was cut off again as the blind boy kissed her once more in comfort, which she was shocked once again before she kissed back. Her arms slowly wrapped around Raiden's neck as the two briefly deepened their kiss.

"Hey, you gave me a chance. A reason to have hope to continue living. Having you with me has made me happy, something I haven't felt for eight years. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be where I am now."

Raiden began to nuzzle Tatenashi to which she nuzzled back and gave a moan. She then smiled and said in a whisper,

"Thank you."

The two could only cuddle on the bed as Raiden stared at the ceiling while Tatenashi just laid there on Raiden's chest, her head on his heartbeat while her fingers traced the many scars that the blind boy had. It was then that the two made a kiss that sealed their feelings for each other.

"Tatenashi…I love you." said Raiden. "I always have and I always will." His voice then became scented with a bit of fear. "But you are not the only one I love."

Tatenashi could merely smile and say "It's alright."

"Huh?"

"I am not one for sharing but in this case, I'll make an exception. For now, though…" Her voice went back to her usual attitude of sneaky, sly, and seductive. "I get to keep you by myself, to make up for the time you were on that trip."

Raiden could only smirk back and say, "Well then…I'm home."

Tatenashi chuckled and replied, "Welcome back."

The two of them then gave a deep kiss before Raiden's tank-top was taken off. It was then that the lion flipped the kitten over as the two gave a deep kiss before an intimate night ensued.


	15. Chapter 14: The Confession of a Lion

**CHAPTER 14**

 **WARNING:** There will be  HENTAI. If you are uncomfortable with it, please skip to the next chapter.

* * *

"Confined, huh?"

"I wouldn't put it that way."

Raiden and Chifuyu were in her office discussing a particular problem while having some sake. Apparently, Raiden had been forbidden to leave the Academy on the condition that his IS was to be detained and checked over due to the Feral Mode evolving according to the reports. Officially, it was to ensure that he recover his injuries from the Silver Gospel.

"All my plans for summer…down the drain." said Raiden.

"I'm sure you'll think of something." assured Chifuyu.

"Easier said than done." Raiden said as he took a cup of sake. "Because now they, including you, are going to keep a close eye on me."

Chifuyu made no comment as she took a sip of her own cup of sake.

"Well, might as well get some sleep. I'm hung over enough as it is." said Raiden as he was going to take his leave.

"Ha. I'm keeping the sake, then." said Chifuyu.

"Just make sure you leave enough for another chat." said Raiden as he walked out the door.

Chifuyu only smiled and said to herself "I sure picked a messed up kid as a brother." Chifuyu then took another cup of sake.

* * *

All that planning gone to waste. Raiden could only mutter to himself about the plans he had, especially with that date with Tatenashi he had planned for. He decided to send her a message through his phone to tell her of the situation. Immediately, he got a reply that said:

 _I understand. I'll figure out something to get you out of there. Just leave the teachers to me, ok? (Kiss)_

Raiden could only smile at the text. He then decided to start walking back to his dorm room yet as he turned a corner, he bumped into someone which made the both of them fall.

As Raiden looked up, he somehow could not get up as he felt the weight of a person, not too heavy but not too light, on top of him. Her hair was blonde as her eyes were purple and she gave a big blush as Raiden looked to see his left hand groping her butt which he immediately pulled away.

"Charlotte." said Raiden.

"Raiden." said Charlotte.

The two of them got off of one another and sat up only to look away with blushes on their faces for the awkward situation earlier.

"So…what are you doing here?" asked Charlotte.

"I…I was just going back to my room. Want to tag along?" asked Raiden. Charlotte immediately blushed at this and though to herself,

 _R-R-Raiden's inviting me to his room? A-A-Are we g-g-going to…_

As soon as the duo came to Raiden's room, Raiden was seen drinking some sake. Charlotte sat on his bed with a blush and still contemplating about her situation. The one boy she likes still here at the Academy and she gets invited to his room. Was this even real or what?

Charlotte then began to notice Raiden's sadness from him. Concerned, she moved closer to him and asked "Are you okay?"

"I hope so."

"What are you still doing here at the Academy?" asked Charlotte.

"I've been…confined." said Raiden.

"What?!" exclaimed Charlotte.

"Officially, they said that I need to recover from my wounds from the Silver Gospel. But in reality…" Raiden took a breathing sigh and said "The Feral Mode on Lion Heart is evolving and it has the teachers in big concern. So they decided to confiscate my IS, and me, for safety."

Charlotte then gave a face of understanding. Even though she didn't like what the school did to Raiden, perhaps all was not lost.

"Maybe…Maybe it's just a temporary thing and then they will let you out some day." said Charlotte in a comforting tone.

"I don't know about that." said a fearful Raiden, making the French girl wrap her arm around Raiden before the two fell onto the bed, lying there.

Raiden then sadly said "There's something dark in me, Charlotte. And whatever it is, I can honestly say that I am scared, of the reflection it will mirror unto me." Raiden began to quiver with fear as he started to shake a little. The memories of the Feral Mode incident with Laura popped into his mind. "Have I truly become…a monster? What am I even doing, knowing only vengeance?"

Charlotte then brought her right hand up to Raiden's cheek. Then with a smile of comfort, like an angel from the heavens, she answered,

"I do not know. But monster or not, you are who you are, Raiden. And whatever choice you make, I will always support you. You are not alone and you don't need to be anymore."

Simple words, yet they were enough to make Raiden come closer to Charlotte and stare at her amethyst eyes. Raiden smiled and nodded in gratitude which the French girl was happy for.

As the two cuddled on the bed, Raiden could feel Charlotte's leg wrapped around his. She was so close that Charlotte just could not stop staring at Raiden, especially at that blindfold. The two could only smile and soon, they drew their lips closer together until they made contact.

Charlotte could only be mesmerized by this and pulled back before she realized what she was doing. She was about to pull out in embarrassment but Raiden pulled her back in and held her tight before she sealed her lips with his. Charlotte was blushing more by the minute and then felt her left breast being soft fondled by Raiden's right hand.

Charlotte just kept moaning and moaning before Raiden reached to her hip and, working his way under her clothing, felt Charlotte's smooth skin on her back. Through all of the touching, Raiden began to remove her clothing while keeping his lips locked with hers.

All of Charlotte's clothes were removed, leaving only her bra and her panties and Raiden began to remove his own as well before only his undergarments were left. Charlotte was blushing like that of a fire engine but Raiden reassured her affectionately by nuzzling her neck which she found addicting. The purring at her neck made her arms wrap around Raiden's head and Raiden soon began to massage her right breast. Their lips met in passion as Charlotte was starting to want more so Raiden removed her bra to show her bare skin which embarrassed her a lot and made her cover it up.

Raiden removed her arms, pinning them on the bed, and merely teased Charlotte's breasts by nuzzling gently onto them, making her moan louder and louder. They met in another kiss that was more of a tongue duel if anything as Raiden removed her panties and his undergarments. Raiden kept himself from entering into her as he continued to massage her breasts and kiss her neck which made her moan just enough for her to climax.

It was then that Charlotte was soon flipped and laid on her stomach with her behind held high into the air. Immediately, she knew what was going to happen and protested but Raiden ignored it. He then entered into Charlotte which, given her somewhat petite body, struggled in pain until it was fully into her. Raiden slowly but surely began to pump inside of Charlotte as he reached around her to fondle at her breasts.

Raiden then reached for her wrists and pinned Charlotte down to the bed, almost as if showing dominance to her during their intercourse. Charlotte slipped her right arm out of the hold and went for Raiden's left cheek to stroke it. She sat up and gave a deep kiss to the dominant lion, playing with his tongue, as he continued to mate with her somewhat aggressively.

Charlotte kept on moaning before it turned into yelps as Raiden began to increase his speed, during which Charlotte's lower half was completely in the air and her upper half lying on the bed face down. Raiden's urges and moans as he pumped in Charlotte were like that of a lion, giving off of animal-like noises. Then, in that heated moment, Raiden released his entire essence into Charlotte, with a little trickle coming onto the bed.

The two collapsed on the bed with Raiden briefly on top of Charlotte before he slid off to the side, still clinging onto her before she clung back. And yet, there were no words to say. All they did was look into their eyes. To Raiden, Charlotte's eyes were like of purple gems, although not shiny and glittering, they were still beautiful as the color of twilight. They kissed lightly on each other's lips before exhaustion took over their intertwined bodies.

And so, the canine and the lion soon fell asleep, never letting go of one another and having their hands intertwined.

* * *

Raiden was lying on his bed the next day, reading a book that he happened to buy from the bookstore from the shopping district. And yet, while he did enjoy doing his hobbies such as reading, exercising, or even reading, he was still not permitted to leave the IS Academy.

Or was he?

The door to his room was knocked later on and Raiden got up from his bed to check who it was. As he opened, he saw Chifuyu there.

"Aneue."

"How are you feeling?" asked Chifuyu.

Raiden merely smirked a little and said "You know the answer to that."

Chifuyu could only smile back as she entered his room. Surprisingly to her, it was very clean and neat, especially in the bathroom.

 _So…he was taught how to clean, huh? Maybe it was wise to let that Mentor of his take him in…_

Raiden had prepared the sake and passed on a cup to Chifuyu while he kept one. Chifuyu sat on the chair that was by the desk.

"So, what brings you here?" asked Raiden as he took a seat on the bed.

"Not much. Just some family time."

"Shouldn't Ichika be a part of this?"

"Ha! Not when the alcohol is around."

The two gave a chuckle and drank their sake before refilling for another.

"There is something I want to ask you though." said Chifuyu.

Raiden sat up in a formal posture with a straight back and permitted, "Shoot."

"I want to ask you about your current relationships."

Raiden was amused and asked "Care to go on?"

Chifuyu then said "Rumors have been circulating that you and Shinonono are on a date. Is that true?"

Raiden immediately answered calmly "There's…more to it than that."

"Oh?"

"Not to say that we are together but in that she isn't the only eye candy I have my eyes on."

"Really?" asked Chifuyu. "If I may, who are the other eye candy in your life?"

"Charlotte and Tatenashi. I would guess that from the latter, you knew this would bound to happen one day."

Chifuyu could only smirk at that and say "Perhaps. But if I may ask, why them?"

Raiden took a moment and a breather and explained "Charlotte is one of those people who would always support their husbands in whatever situation they find themselves in that gives a ton of stress. Plus, she focuses on trying to make me happy instead of forceful love. Not to mention that the French are always about love."

"And Tatenashi?"

"Cute and mischievous. But at the same time, she's just a regular girl. Supportive as well, in an unethical way. I suppose the mischievous side is what drew me to her. Oh, and she's not a virgin."

Chifuyu was, for a moment, frozen in time. That last phrase made her pause for a bit as she tried to make sure her sake cup didn't slip from her hand.

"Not a virgin?" asked Chifuyu with a twitchy eye. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly as I said." Raiden explained casually. "Of course, I am her partner."

Chifuyu could only crack her glass cup with a strong squeeze in frustration. It wasn't enough to break it but it sure left a mark.

"It's a man's job to fulfill the heart of one girl's love and desires, is it not?"

"Yes, but to think you of all people would end up having sex with the student council president…"

Raiden joked, "It's because you say that sort of stuff that you'll be a virgin forever. You need to get yourself a man to lie down with someday, Aneue."

Chifuyu was a little ticked off and had a cross pop vein appear on her head. She then said,

"What does that have to do with it?"

Raiden relaxed and exclaimed "I am a man and she is a woman. 'When you have two people like that live in the same room together, things tend to happen like that.' That's what my Mentor had said."

The room was only silent and Chifuyu was all but silently venting from what she had heard. She then had to ask this one question.

"Is that it?"

"Hmm?"

"Just that one time?"

Raiden simply answered "For now. But I don't expect her to be the only partner I have nor do I expect it to end there. As if young women like her would settle just for once."

"Okay then. Who else did you do it to?"

Raiden suddenly remembered his time with Charlotte and decided not to reveal it just yet. He covered it up nonchalantly saying,

"No one just yet. But it is going to happen. I'll be sure to tell you."

Chifuyu could only let out a sigh. Only a semester into the school year and Raiden already revealed a ton of information. It felt like she was buried in an avalanche of snow. She took another cup of sake with her cracked cup and drank it all down in one gulp.

"Although, I did lose my virginity years ago."

Chifuyu immediately spit out the sake in her mouth and coughed out her lungs. Raiden felt some hit his face and merely used his sleeve to wipe it off. After Chifuyu took a breather, she asked,

"What?!"

"Yeah. I lost it on my 12th birthday. By my Mentor, of course." said Raiden casually.

Chifuyu gripped the cup tighter, further making the crack bigger. Now the cup was on the verge of being shattered.

"You had sex with your guardian?!"

"She said it was a superior's job to teach recruits about womanizing. I think her teachings paid off given the situation I am in."

"Explain what happened."

"Well…" said Raiden as he began his story. "I was invited to bathe with my Mentor. Makes sense given I was just a kid at the time. When she asked when my birthday was, I told her it was today and that I didn't tell her beforehand. When she asked what I wanted, I pathetically said a kind guardian which made her bite me. I didn't like to get bitten anyway, which surprised her. So then she offered a present: herself. I sarcastically accepted it and sure enough, it just went off from there. So, yeah, that's how it happened. She took my first time on my birthday." Raiden finished as he took a drink of his sake. "I'm sorry, Aneue."

"Is that it?"

"Hmm?"

"Just that one time?"

"Well…no. We did do it more often as the years pass."

"How long?"

"Let's see…" Raiden counted the numbers on his fingers and then revealed, "Almost every day."

Chifuyu was, for the first time, shocked and had her jaw dropped. To think that her little brother would have that much sex with just one women all in an effort to teach her about womanizing. Was this really the same kid she rescued eight years ago?

Chifuyu sighed once again and drank her cup of sake. At this point, she was so relaxed and buzzed that she just couldn't bear to stand up and walk.

"By the way, there's a festival happening tonight at a local shrine. Specifically Shinonono's. I want you to go to it."

Raiden sat up and asked "I thought I wasn't allowed out of the Academy?"

"Officially, yes. But under my request as a teacher, I'm letting you go for this one. I have no intention to confine you here for all summer."

"And the rest of the staff?"

"Leave them to me. If they got a problem with it, they can take it up to me."

Raiden then asked, "Where is the shrine?"

* * *

Later tonight, Raiden arrived at where the festival was being held. Although it was a little enduring for him to walk given that his injuries are not yet 100% fully recovered, it didn't stop him from going. He wondered what the teachers at the Academy were thinking right now.

Raiden walked up the stone stairs that were leading to the shrine. It wasn't time yet but that didn't mean he had to wait. Already, there were some people staring at him because of his blindfold but this is something he has grown accustomed to. However, given his injuries, he walked slowly and took small steps, as the injuries to his torso haven't fully healed yet. He carried with him a stick so as to not only look in public a blind person but also to support his own weight.

As he walked, he noticed some of the stalls set up but they didn't have anyone to man the stores. Of course, it wasn't nighttime yet but preparation is always key to everything.

As he walked, he sat on a nearby bench and watched the clouds drift by in the blue sky. A little squirrel then just happens to appear right next to him. Raiden didn't move one bit lest he scared away the poor creature as it crawled up to his shoulder.

Then, he looked up to see Houki not too far away from him and gave a friendly hello, prompting the blushing girl to come to him and sit next to him.

"Raiden. I-I didn't expect you to be here."

"Neither did I."

The squirrel leaves Raiden's shoulder and goes to wander back into the woods.

"What brings you here?" asked Houki.

"I was told of a festival happening here, so I decided to come and visit. Although, I didn't think it would happen at your shrine."

"I…see." The two merely remained silent. But then, Raiden gave a grunt as he tried to adjust himself, only to feel a sharp pain pass through his body. Houki took notice and asked,

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's my injuries. They haven't quite fully healed yet."

Houki gasped a little and asked in concern "What injuries?"

"The ones from the Silver Gospel. It's why I haven't left the Academy yet. Well, to be more frank, I'm detained."

"Detained?! For what? You didn't do anything wrong!"

"It's not that. Officially, it's so that my injuries can heal but unofficially, it has to do with my IS."

"Your…IS?" Houki asked in fear as the memories from Raiden in his Feral Mode still lurked within her mind.

"They said that the IS is 'evolving' but what they meant I am not sure. So until then, I'll be staying at the Academy until the 2nd term begins." Houki then gave a sad face and had her head down low, thinking that now she will never be able to get to spend time with Raiden.

But the blind boy took notice and with comforting words, said "Don't worry. If I'm lucky, I'll maybe have a chance to sneak out and have some fun while I'm at it. But you can come and visit me any time you wish."

Houki only looked up and saw his warm smile, calming down her fears. Raiden's legs soon fell asleep and he tried to get up to stretch them, only to struggle and nearly fall before Houki caught him and put his arm around her shoulder to support him.

"Thank you." said Raiden, making the girl blush.

"Are you sure you're alright? There were a lot of steps for you to climb." asked a concerned Houki.

"I just needed a little rest, that's all." reassured Raiden, but it didn't convince Houki though.

"But…"

Raiden interrupts her as he turns his head to her. "It's alright. I won't push myself so much." Houki earned herself a blush before she regained her composure.

"I-If you want, I can take you inside and give you some tea whenever you feel like it."

"Sure. I understand." Thanked Raiden as he smiled down onto her, earning the girl a blush.

"Houki! Where are you?" called out a voice. When the two looked, they saw a young woman with brown short hair dressed in a purple yukata.

"Over here, Aunt Yukiko."

 _Aunt?_ thought Raiden. _Right. I don't know Houki's other family members aside from her sister._

Yukiko came over and found her niece along with Raiden. Raiden felt he was going to receive the short end of the stick by Yukiko but to his relief, she merely came over with a warm smile.

"I don't think we've met. Yukiko Shinonono."

"Raiden Hataru." Raiden introduced himself.

"Oh. So you must be the guy that Houki had been talking to for the past few hours." said Yukiko.

"Mou. Aunt Yukiko!" said a blushing Houki, who was all but embarrassed. Yukiko then looked to see Raiden's arm wrapped around Houki's shoulder.

"Hmm? This is pretty aggressive for a late bloomer like you, Houki."

Houki was confused before she looked to her left and saw Raiden's arm around her. Immediately, her ears perked up, as if a fox heard a noise.

"Well, you see, he's injured." gasped Houki. "So I…I…"

Yukiko gave a laugh and reassured "It's alright. I see how it is now." She then turned to Raiden and said "Well, I don't know if you are a nice guy or not given your blindfold and all, but please take good care of little Houki for me at the Academy, okay?"

"Aunt Yukiko!" said an embarrassed Houki. Yukiko couldn't help but laugh more, as did Raiden who gave a mere chuckle. Before then, she regained her composure and said,

"Houki, come back to the shrine and practice. Break time is over."

"Practice?" asked Raiden.

"She's going to perform a dance tonight at the festival." explained Yukiko.

"Is that so?" asked Raiden. "Then I won't keep you waiting."

Houki turned in concern but saw Raiden's smile again which reassured her that everything will be alright. She departed with her aunt to practice some more, never taking her eyes off of her crush, who began to feed the birds with some bird-feed.

* * *

The festival had begun. Lots of people from the town were present, many of them, mostly women, dressed in their kimonos which were aesthetically beautiful. Some of the men wore their yukatas as well which, although typical, were still a nice site to see.

For Houki though, she had performed her Kagura dance to the crowd on stage, with Raiden in the far back in the dark places. He stood next to a tree and watched as Houki gracefully and elegantly performed the ritual dance. To be honest, she felt nervous, seeing her crush in full view watching her yet couldn't help but feel calm and at peace, with Raiden giving his smile.

He couldn't help but be drawn to Houki's dancing, as he felt his soul move and his mind empty of other thoughts. It was a feeling of serenity, of peace, of tranquility. It gave him a sense of relaxation, which relaxed the tension in his muscles and cut off all the pain from the wounds he had.

Once the dance was over, Houki was given reprieve. Changing into her yukata, she looked to find Raiden still in his spot as before when he saw her dancing, merely looking out to the city lights.

"Hey." Said the blind boy with a smile. "You danced beautifully out there."

Houki stuttered and blushed. "O-Oh. I felt nervous to be honest."

Raidne made no comment and soon asked "Well, we got time before the fireworks. Shall we look around? See what they got?"

"Y-Yeah. Let's do that." Houki couldn't help but feel calm for a moment. Raiden was with her and the feeling of it rushed through her like mad. Still, she felt safe with him, especially since there were a lot of people at the shrine and it would be easy to be lost in this sort of crowd.

Both Raiden and Houki visited all kinds of stalls, whether they had food, games, or even accessories. They continued to walk and play and eat as they went through a lot of stalls. Right now, it was about 8pm, and the fireworks ceremony was about to start.

For Houki though, just being around Raiden made her heart flutter and beat more than usual. She could feel the beating in her ears and feel it from her chest. It was a feeling unlike any other, something that had magnified ten-fold after just mere months of being around the blind boy. There are times when the two of them spent time with each other, but there were other times when tragedy struck.

The beating from the IS Golem during the duel with Rin, the Feral Mode incident with Laura, the Silver Gospel…All those events made Houki tremble slightly. Seeing her crush beaten brutally and to a bloody pulp convinced her not to just sit by and watch any more. She couldn't, hence why she asked for a personal IS, one adjusted to Lion Heart so that she can be connected to Raiden.

While she had achieved her dream, it took a lot of sacrifice and hard lessons to learn about the cost of such power and what it can do if not taken into account.

Thinking about this, Houki felt even more ashamed and lowered her head slightly as she played around with her fingers.

"Let's go then."

"Ah..."

Raiden grabbed Houki's hand gently again and walked to the woods behind the shrine.

 _Go-Going somewhere that's empty...don't tell me._

Of course, it wouldn't be like that. Besides, there was a secret viewing spot behind this woods for them to view the fireworks festival. In the woods that had high trees all around, a certain area was open like a window.

The spot looked like a picture for the four seasons. In spring, it could be used to see the sunrise. In summer, it could be used to see the fireworks. In autumn, it could be used to view the full moon, and in winter, it could be used to see a snowscape. It was a secret place with the colors of all four seasons. The sounds of insects could be heard. A light breeze blew into the woods where humans hardly stayed in, removing the heat of summer.

Being alone with the person she liked in such a place...Houki couldn't remain calm after it ended up like this.

 _It-It's just-just me and Raiden...and-and also, the-the...atmosphere, it's rather good..._

Seemingly expecting something, Houki glanced at Raiden, but Raiden just looked at the sky in gentle manner as the wind lightly blew his hair back.

 _Is-Isn-Isn't this a good-good time to confess!?_

If anyone asked her who she wanted to confess to, she would probably say 'The answer's in my own heart' (Find out my mind).

Houki continued to stare at Raiden as her face gradually reddened, and let out sweat that didn't have anything to do with the heat.

 _Sa-Say-Say it! Just say it! it's the time to say it...just say it!_

But her mind was hesitant as was her heart, for she feared the unknown, how Raiden would react if she confessed now.

 _Must I say it? Do I have to say it? Shouldn't the guy be the one confessing? No, it's that Raiden. He won't say it himself. Speaking of which, I don't know if he likes me—no! He likes me! He really likes me! Most likely! I guess..._

Realizing that she was repeating the words in her heart, Houki blushed again.

The buzz of the crowds was far away from them, and they couldn't hear anything now.

 _Is…Is it time now?_

Houki finally decided to confess, but before she could, Raiden interrupted her.

"Houki…"

"Hm?"

"There is something I must confess to you." Houki's face immediately reddened but then she could see the somewhat serious expression on her crush's face and found herself drawn to his blindfold as those two covered eyes stared at her own.

"For a long time, I felt so alone. After the death of my parents and of my mentor, I wondered who it was that I should be fighting for. Who it was that I should protect. When I came to the Academy, I only wanted to live my life as an ordinary student. But I guess ordinary doesn't exist in this world. There have been a lot of people there willing to help me; Chifuyu, Ichika, Charlotte, Cecilia, Rin, Laura…"

Raiden then gently grabbed Houki's hand gently and lifted them up to his, to the girl's surprise whose face turned red as her mouth became ajar.

"But most especially you."

His smile then formed which was a warm smile. A smile that made Houki calm and relaxing, banishing all other thoughts from her head as she felt a happiness stir within her.

"You were the first to comfort me in my miserable life. You were the first to hear my story and give me solace where I could find none in others. It is for that reason that I harbored feelings for you."

That alone made Houki gasp as she felt her heart skip a beat, as if she was lost in a trance. A tear was then formed but did not escape Houki's eyes.

However, Raiden's mood immediate changed one to anxiety as he fearfully confessed,

"But while you are someone precious to me, there are two others that would take that from you because I feel the same for them as well. I don't want to cause you suffering but I don't want the others to suffer at the same time over something so minuscule yet so beautiful."

Houki immediately understood. The boy she liked loved her but he loved the other two as well. Normally, she would not be okay with this, but for the sake of him, she merely smiled and gave Raiden a kiss, one that surprised him. She leaned up and met her lips with his, one that held feeling within them. She then said,

"Raiden…I like you as well. And I understand if you feel the same for the others. I am just happy that you feel the same way for me as I do for you."

Raiden couldn't help but be surprised before he then smiled warmly and as the first of the fireworks began, Raiden and Houki met their lips once more, the boy wrapping his arm around Houki's back as he pressed forward a bit. Afterwards, the two let go and turned to watch the fireworks light up the night sky.

The most famous of this fireworks would be the 100 shots. Once released, the booming sounds and the colors in the night sky would continue for an hour. With the flash of the fireworks, the light would show the side of Raiden's warm face. Seeing such a beautiful expression, Houki suddenly found herself laughable.

 _Right now, just being with him is enough._

Thinking about this, Houki looked up at the sky with Raiden. Red, blue, green, yellow, the fireworks in the sky continued to dazzle in the sky as most of the viewers enjoyed it.

"So pretty..."

"Mn, so pretty."

"But not pretty enough as you under the moonlight in that yukata of yours."

Houki couldn't help but laugh a little. She didn't think her unofficial boyfriend had a sense of humor like this. Looking up at the sky, Houki did something that was somewhat daring for herself. She linked her own arm with Raiden's left arm and leaned her head to his left shoulder.

"Hm? Are you tired?"

"No. Just…happy."

Raiden just turned to the side for a while, and then his eyes turned to the fireworks in the night sky before he leaned his head onto Houki's, grasping her right hand with his left and interlocking his fingers with hers.

Houki's face was somewhat scarlet red under the fireworks. However, it wasn't because she was shy, but because she was delighted.

The summer memories of a 16-year-old passed by under the dazzling colors of the fireworks.


	16. Chapter 15: Memory of the Summer

**CHAPTER 15**

 _Run. Run to the wind. Run to the depths of hell. Run until you can be of no more. For the race you are running is the race of a lifetime, and you must race it well or else you will be left behind. In order to succeed, you must run to win. Stay focused on the goal that is ahead for this is not a race of speed but of endurance. Just keep on running, and even as you cross the finishing line, just keep on running._

These were the words of his Mentor, Akane, that Raiden kept to during his years of training under her. He had loved to run as his Mentor made him run when he was little as a form of workout. The first time was of pure endurance and Raiden got lost, crying under a tree in a rainstorm only to be found and guided back home by Akane herself. Since then, the feeling of just running on two legs never ceased to leave him. Add some workout music to it, probably a military cadence, and Raiden just wanted to keep on running.

He already ran about 8 miles and had a lot to think about during his first half-year at the Academy as the 2nd male IS pilot. He made plenty of friends, with three of them "special" to him.

The first girl to treat him was Tatenashi Sarashiki who, while sneaky and mischievous, was merely a girl looking for love and, to Raiden, she had found it in him. Being her roommate and all, it allowed her to experience things she had never done before and she was willing to take it to the next level. After all, they have gotten intimate before, the first being in the shower. After that, it was just whenever they felt like it but it had to be at the right moment to ensure this was not just casual.

The next was Charlotte Dunois who, while she is his childhood friend, had the face and heart of an angel. To her and Raiden, they were both victims and victims have a lot in common than they think. Not only that, but even angels can fall in love with blind mortal humans. After all, they have only been intimate once. But not all angels are the caring and loving winged beauties that humans make out to be because there are some angels that do not show mercy. And Charlotte is definitely one of them.

Finally, there was Houki Shinonono. A childhood friend of Ichika, Houki had always kept an eye on Raiden for reasons that she couldn't understand. That is until she found out that she was drawn to him. She denied it initially and resisted due to her feelings for Ichika but when Raiden arrived, that all changed. She had heard of his story and knew that Raiden was someone…special. She comforted him, ate with him, supported him, even kissed him. For she knew then, that her heart truly belonged to Raiden and not to Ichika.

There was also the other male IS pilot, along with the other three personal IS pilots.

There was Cecilia Alcott, his little sister figure who, while always nosy and prideful, is a cute girl at best. Lingyin Huang, or Rin for short, who, while a crazy and rambunctious childhood friend of Ichika, at least had his respects and friendly attitude. And finally, there was Laura Bodewig; while an experimental soldier and former enemy of the blind boy, was also something else that Raiden proved to her as a fellow soldier: a human being, for soldiers are not emotionless, even on the battlefield. All three of these girls held feelings for Ichika but so far, the blunnette boy was merely dense.

Speaking of Ichika, to both he and Raiden, they were more than just friends. They were brothers, no matter the age or of their blood. Brothers always have each other's back, even in the direst of situations. While Raiden has taught him a few things about women and how to deal with them, the blunette boy's head was still made of dense material. Then again, women are not the only concerns the two boys have at the Academy. Inspired by him, Ichika decided to be with Raiden more and more. They worked out, trained together, and even sparred in the dojo. Just goes to show what the friendship between men can lead to: brotherhood.

As for his sister Chifuyu, she was also Raiden's sister, not biologically speaking of course. She had been with him since the beginning and wanted to make up for eight years of being separated. She made it clear to him that she didn't want to be separated from him again and wanted to take care of him like she did to Ichika. But while Ichika was merely kidnapped and Chifuyu rescued him thanks to German intelligence, Chifuyu found Raiden on a coincidence and what she saw changed her forever. If she thought that saving Ichika was bad enough, rescuing Raiden as an eight-year old boy with eyes sliced out made Chifuyu quiver with fear not just in concern of the boy but in what the IS can do if in the wrong hands. Besides, who's to say that women and children are not victims of anything in the world?

Without these people, Raiden would probably be still stuck in a ditch all alone without help. As he continued to run and sweat immensely, he reached to the IS Academy and, while at the entrance and looking at the whole campus, Raiden breathed a happy sigh of relief. For once in his life, he was glad to have come here.

"Yo, Raiden!" called a voice to the blind boy. He saw Ichika over by the entrance and Raiden came over to him. Taking his headphones off, Raiden asked,

"What's up?"

"This." Ichika hands Raiden a piece of paper. On it was the advertisement of the new water park that was being opened.

"Huh. I guess I got some spare time. When and where?"

Ichika thought for a moment and suggested "How about 1:00 afternoon?"

"Sounds good to me." said Raiden. "By the way, are you inviting the others?"

"Yeah." Ichika said nonchalantly. "Figured they want to come along as well."

 _I can't tell whether he made a stupid decision or not._

"Well, if that's that, mind if I take a shower to cool off first?" asked Raiden.

"Oh sure. Go ahead."

Gathering his swim trunks from his dorm as well as tank top, Raiden headed for the dojo where it was nearest for the showers. Granted Tatenashi was already occupied with the shower in their room considering that she just woke up and didn't even know that Raiden was back.

By then however, he heard a noise from in one of the showers. Almost as if someone was singing. Raiden could only smile as he heard Houki finishing up her shower.

But then…

* * *

Houki continued to wash herself before she looked at her own breasts.

'Maybe they got a little bigger?' She had thought to herself. She then wondered what Raiden would think of such large breasts like hers. Speaking of Raiden though…

Houki could feel a presence and not move. It felt like her entire body went all stiff in one spot. She could hear a low growl from behind that was right next to her ear, which sent shivers down her spine, if not pleasure.

"Sorry for the intrusion." Raiden said as he calmly approached her from behind. He was entirely naked except for a loincloth around his lower front. The hot water poured down onto his head as he joined with the vixen in the shower.

Houki was completely red and felt that she was getting too hot now. And yet, a part of her mind wanted to stay in the shower with her crush. She could feel his hands snake around her, mostly around her hips and her stomach. It was then that she felt something in her that urged her to turn around yet she tried to fight it off before she could succumb to it. And yet, she liked this feeling of pleasure as he gave soft and quiet moans here and there. She couldn't help but let one arm rest on his and another gently grab his head.

Houki's body was soft. Soft as silk, if Raiden were to give a spoken opinion about it. It was smooth and Raiden could feel her hip bones as he slowly moved his hands around her. This body felt like a soft silky blanket, something Raiden wanted, in the back of his mind, to be covered with. But he knew better than to have perverted thoughts get the best of him as he banished them away temporarily.

"Ichika and everyone else are going to that new water park. Do you want to come along? Have some fun before the summer ends?"

Houki then felt a trance. The thought of seeing Raiden in his swim trunks excited her yet made her blush heavily just thinking of it. She then answered stutteringly "I-I think I'd like that. I mean, it's not like we should just spend this last day doing nothing."

Raiden couldn't help but smile and chuckle. "I'm looking forward to it then." He then gave a kiss on Houki's right cheek, which shocked her and gave a more than usual heavier blush. Raiden then left, albeit seductively as Houki then collapsed to the wall as she turned off the shower.

The pleasure within her sky-rocketed as she could still feel Raiden's arms around her despite leaving. Her breathing felt like steam produced form her mouth and it was then that she lifted her hand to her right cheek, feeling the slight saliva from the kiss, and she gave a smile. A smile of warmth and of peace.

* * *

The water at the park was nice. When opening day came, hundreds of people, including some students from the IS Academy, were already there. For a water park to open on the last day of summer was perhaps once in a lifetime opportunity and at this time for the year, it would be perfect for anyone to spend their last days.

Raiden leans against the entrance to the Men's changing room as he applies sunscreen and finishes putting on his black tank top before stepping out into the sunlight, basking in the warmth of the summer rays as he does so. To Raiden's correct guess, Ichika had invited most of the girls to join him at the new water park that had opened up nearby... much to their disappointment when they found out he was just wanting to hang out as a group instead of wanting to date any of them... but subconsciously... they somehow knew that was what was going to happen.

Raiden spots the blockhead being dragged off by Cecelia, and could only chuckle as he assumed she was trying to get a head start on the others... Dressed in his usual dark blue board shots with a silver lion pouncing on his right thigh, Raiden checked himself out briefly to see the fine muscular and trimmed he had... but it seemed to only add to his charm as a few girls passing by give him a whistle, which he smiles to warmly.

Rin waves over to Raiden for him to come over. But from behind him, he was unwillingly gathering a crowd who were eyeing in awe over him due to his muscular body and scars. Of course, his body had to be an attraction to them more so than the water park itself.

But along the way, Raiden couldn't help but feel like he was being watched. He then turned over and briefly from the corner of his blindfolded eye were Yamada-sensei and Chifuyu. Raiden clicked his tongue quietly at the thought that his surrogate sister was here.

 _That woman...Will she never keep her eyes off me?_

Houki and Charlotte couldn't help but stare at Raiden's body. Although the two had seen his bare body beforehand, the sight of it every time they see it makes their knees shake a little and their head a little woozy. Raiden caught sight of this and approached the two girls, whose faces were blushing red and fast.

"What?" asked Raiden.

The two girls couldn't really say anything other than stutters and whatnot. Seeing Raiden's scarred and muscular body, especially his pectorals that were shown under his tank top, caught their attention.

Raiden managed to snap them out of it with a clap of his hands near their face, shaking them out of the gaze.

"Shall we?" asked Raiden, making the two girls grab onto each of his arms. But when they realized the situation, a sparked came between Houki and Charlotte.

"H-Hey! Charlotte, I grabbed him first!"

"No, I had him! And he's coming down the slide with me."

"Since when did you decide that?"

Raiden was quickly getting annoyed yet he saw the situation as helpless. Sure, he is tempted to step in and calm down the commotion but then again, it could also lead into more complicated problems.

 _Sigh. I wish you were here, Akane._

* * *

The three of them, with the two girls hooking their arms around both of Raiden's arms, as they walk together. Although the two girls were still slightly ticked off about who was going to be with him and were thinking if one hogged more than the other, deep inside they were content and happy. Some of the ladies even caught sight of the two walking and immediately, joy erupted from them and saw the trio as lovely.

Houki initially wanted to be with Raiden and cool off in the shade under an umbrella while Charlotte wanted to be in the lazy river part of the park. Raiden however decided that to have some fun and for the girls to "cool off", they went to a slide called White Lightning, a two-person 75 feet water slide which was the largest slide in the attraction.

Houki was quivering in her legs as they began to shake. Charlotte was more composed but slightly cowered at the sheer size of the slide. Even Raiden couldn't help but be wide eyed a little bit to see the immense size of it. But then again, he has survived worse falls before.

"Shall we?" asked Raiden. But Houki was starting to back away. Raiden couldn't help but chuckle and grabbed her hand gently. It startled the poor girl before she felt a small sense of safety in the hand.

The line was pretty long but it went by in a jiffy. By the time the trio went to the top, Houki and Charlotte were all but shaking and buckling in their knees. Houki was somewhat moaning in fear about the sheer drop of this slide.

As soon as Raiden got onto the top of the slide, things got complicated…again. And Raiden could see why. Charlotte and Houki wanted to decide who was going to go down first on the slide.

"Girls, I don't mean to be impatient here but can we please hurry up? I don't want to make the line angry."

Houki and Charlotte stared eye to eye, the intense atmosphere increasing by the second.

"Rock paper scissors! We'll decide order with rock paper scissors!" said Charlotte.

"Hmph, fine then. Just to let you know, rock paper scissors is among my strengths." claimed Houki.

"You won't beat me."

Rock… Paper… Scissors!

"Yaaay! I won!"

"Grrr..."

The winner Charlotte flashed a full faced smile, and the loser Houki had a look of regret. The safety instructor at the top of the slide proceeded to give out safety measures for the duration of the slide.

"The girl sits down between your legs."

With a bit of reservation, Charlotte sits down in between Raiden's legs. Though she felt safe in Raiden's arms that wrapped around her stomach much to her pleasure, she never knew what would happen next. Then again, there was only one way to find out.

"That's it. Then the guy squeezes the girl from behind. Arms around the stomach!"

"Right, you ready Charlotte?"

"R-ready whenever!"

For some reason, Charlotte gives Raiden a forceful reply. Doing as the instructor told him, Raiden holds onto her from behind. Whether he want it to or not, Raiden could feel the special softness of Charlotte's body from the skin to skin contact. It was smooth and gentle, like the skin of a goddess. Plus from being so close, Raiden could feel her body warmth, as his heart starts to pound somewhat with Charlotte's doing the same giving the feeling of his arms around her stomach.

"Finally, the girl has to hold onto the guy's arms. Hold on tight! It's dangerous if you become separated midway through."

"Y-Yes."

Charlotte gave another energetic reply, and squeezes onto Raiden's arms.

Realizing that this was taking a while and looking over he saw Houki impatiently waiting with her foot tapping, Raiden checked with the instructor lady so they can take off.

"Are we all set now?"

"Yes, good to go! Have a nice trip!"

The lifeguard gave a simple shove to the couple and down they went. The beginning of the slide went by slowly, but they accelerated quickly into high speed.

Charlotte couldn't help but scream as the drop went by fast. Through twists and turns, she could feel the water hit on her before Raiden's hands accidentally slipped and grabbed onto her breasts, earning a yelp in the process. Looks like karma isn't in Raiden's favor with Charlotte.

"Kyaaa.!?"

"Sorry!"

The duo were sliding considerably fast, and there was no time to exchange words. Reacting similarly to the way Raiden did, Charlotte was gripping onto his arms much more strongly than at the start.

"Curve!" Raiden yelled as the duo took a sharp turn followed by another and another. The centrifugal force pulls them around.

By the time they hit the bottom of the slide, an enormous splash occurred as Charlotte popped up on all fours but there was no sign of Raiden. What she didn't know were that her breasts were suffocating Raiden before she felt a lick on her nipple and backed away before stumbling back.

Raiden popped up coughing for air before he turned to see Charlotte with her back onto him and holding her breasts while having a heavy blush. Raiden slightly flinches from what he unintentionally did.

Only one thought occurred in her head,

"Raiden, you pervert."

Raiden couldn't help but come over to check on his childhood friend and pat her head, saying "I'm sorry."

"But... you touched them."

"Not intentional." Raiden quickly and calmly replied as he gently rubbed her head. Even so, there's nothing he can do about it now given of what he did to her in the past.

But, still...they were soft.

"Hey! Raiden!"

Raiden heard a voice from above and saw Houki waiting for him up top. Realizing that he has to go again, he quickly gets up top. Thankfully the line was not that long as last time. Let's just hope the karma this time will be good.

Raiden proceeded as usual to get on first. Houki was about to get up front with Raiden, but Raiden felt like he had a better idea.

"Hey, Houki. You want to get behind me?"

"Huh?" asked the girl with a confusion mark over her head.

Raiden then quickly explained "The water from the slide is quite strong and a lot of it will be sprayed out towards us as we descend. I hate for it to ruin that beautiful face of yours."

That last comment made Houki blush as her cheeks turned red. Even though she wanted to ride in front of Raiden, she realized that he was merely looking out for her safety and didn't want her to get hurt in any sort of way. In fact, over the course of the first semester with him, he had saved her a few times and each time, it made them more memorable to her memory. Even though a few of saving grace events nearly killed him, any man would come to do that sort of thing for the woman he loves.

Houki decided to accept Raiden's agreement and stutteringly said,

"Oh. O-okay then."

Feeling Raiden's back was rough yet also intoxicating. When Houki's breasts made contacts with Raiden's, he blushed faintly yet was undeterred in terms of shame and embarrassment. Houki, however, was not having it any better as the feeling of coursed through her like wildfire.

"Are we good to go?" asked Raiden to the safety instructor, who is then gently pushed the duo down the slide.

Houki felt scared yet as the two descended rapidly yet saw that Raiden was taking the full impact of the water being sprayed in front of him. It looked like Raiden was facing the brunt of a thunderstorm and protecting Houki. She felt secure in the back as she wrapped her arms around Raiden's chest to feel safe, with Raiden putting one of his hands on them.

Once the two hit the bottom, they immediately separated and made it to dry land, where Houki turned away and looked at her own breasts, contemplating on the fact that Raiden felt them on his back.

"Ummm….Houki, are you okay?" asked Raiden as he came up behind her, which scared the girl for a minute and made her trip and fall before Raiden caught her, albeit with his arm around her lower back.

The atmosphere quickly went quiet as Raiden pulled her up and the two quickly turned away from each other in embarrassment after that awkward moment.

Suddenly, Raiden felt Houki wrap herself behind him. He was confused and silent in an instant.

"Houki?"

"Just…let me be for a moment. Please?" asked the girl.

Raiden couldn't really understand yet he allowed it anyway before a smile came across his lips. He placed one hand on Houki's arm and slightly leaned his head back to nuzzle with her head. He felt at peace truly and Houki wrapping her arms around his chest, feeling the strong protruding muscles including his pectorals, excited her. It was a feeling that she did not ever want to forget.

A feeling she wanted to last forever. The last memory of the summer before it ends.


	17. Chapter 16: Look What the Cat Dragged In

**CHAPTER 16**

The heavy sound of metal echoed out. Ichika and Rin clashed blades as they faced off against each other. It was the 3rd of September, during a practical training lesson at the beginning of the second term that was held between classes 1 and 2.

"I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY, ICHIKA!"

As fellow class representatives, both of them were fighting in this match. Ichika had the upper hand at the beginning, but Rin started to turn it around.

The reason was simple and clear. Byakushiki's second phase was using energy too quickly.

"You used too much energy on your shield!"

"Not over yet!"

Ichika swung his blade, but the Yukihira Niigata had already lost the glow of the Reiraku Byakuya and became an ordinary physical sword. If he pulled his distance, Ichika should be able to fire the particle cannon from the multi-purpose left arm weapon Setsura, but that part had also lost all energy.

"It's useless! The Shenlong is designed to be stable and be efficient in using up the energy. Impact Cannons, fire!"

After firing several high-pressure shots in quick succession, Ichika and Rin pulled away from each other.

It seemed that Rin didn't intend on letting go of this opportunity as she threw out the attached Souten Gagetsu. Ichika managed to take the powerful hit, but Rin already disappeared from his eyes.

Though the IS Hyper Sensors managed to make up for it as it sensed the enemy's location, it was already too late.

Rin was up above Ichika and mercilessly fired her Impact Cannons at point blank range, sending Ichika straight to the ground with a boom, making a small crater.

As the sunlight was too strong, Ichika immediately narrowed his eyes, and he saw a black figure flying down at him.

"I WIN!"

Rin remained upside down and continued shooting the Impact Cannons at him. After shooting 10 rounds, the bell rang, indicating that the match was over. Needless to say, Ichika lost. Chifuyu then called out for the second round.

"Hataru! Shinonono! You're up next!

Both Raiden and Houki took their positions on the other sides of the arena. Houki had no problem deploying her IS, Akatsubaki, and take to positions above the skies, waiting for her crush.

Or should we say, her unofficial boyfriend.

While it's true, from Raiden's confession, that their relationship is not official and that he loved two other people, it was clear to Houki that she was alright with it. Admittedly, she had seen Charlotte and Raiden close to each other before and when she asked the former, Charlotte revealed that Raiden and she met when they were kids in France. It was easy for Houki to accept that fact, along with being good friends to Charlotte, but she still wanted Raiden to be hers.

Raiden took a little longer than usual to deploy his IS. Why is that one may ask?

Well as it turns out, his IS was, unknown to him, given to Tabane by Chifuyu during the summer break to improve its design and defense systems. That IS' armor was too thin, like wet toilet paper, to even be considered armor so Tabane had to make some improvements to it. However, it sacrificed mobility and speed by about one quarter of what it previously was. Despite being a prototype, it was time for that prototype to receive an upgrade by the IS Creator herself.

As for the design of the IS, it wasn't too different from its original but there have been many significant changes. For starters, it was almost fully armored now as it covered Raiden from head to toe, except for the lower jaw of his mouth and his abdominal muscles that showed his six-pack, and gave a very human-like appearance and feel to it. Its two eyes up top, which were added by Tabane, gave a white glow and changed from either purple or blue depending on the state of mind. The leg armor had some slight telltale signs that resembled Charlotte's Rafale Revive Custom II but was noticeably thinner and more well-rounded at the knee section, giving it a more sleek and aerodynamic look. The armor around Raiden's arms were slightly thicker than the leg sections and had been angled in order to maximize deflection from small arms fire, but at the same time, it looked like his angled armor could counteract close-range melee weapons due to the two large, smooth spike-like tips that passed his wrists and elbows. His hands were fully clawed like those of a lion, ready to cut anything in its path. On his waist were armor pieces that had shallower angles in order to guard the crotch and spinal section.

The wings of Lion Heart were changed as well. They look a lot like Ichika's Byakushiki somewhat but were slightly thinner and less bulky and were connected to the back of the IS itself. They did resemble wings of the angel but more skeletal-like if anything, with metallic angel-like feathers decorated in between each skeletal part. In fact, they almost resembled the wings of Lion Heart in its Feral Mode. They were surprisingly flexible, able to flap on occasion and act like actual wings that can fold in or out.

The lascannons, no longer mounted on the wings, were now mounted upside down behind the shoulders of the IS and would deploy upright when commanded to. The gunblade meanwhile had undergone a significant change. No longer just a revolver-like weapon with a blade coming out of the barrel, the gunblade was now a weapon that can switch between its gun mode and blade mode through the sequence similar to that of a butterfly knife. While its functionality and purpose remained the same, it could now be mounted in a holster on the back waist of the IS, allowing for a quick draw. Its name, courtesy of the rabbit Tabane, was called Blazefire Saber.

The only thing that hasn't changed were the Velvet Nightmare guns that were still holstered on the waist of the IS, one on each side.

Everyone around him, except for Chifuyu, gazed upon Raiden's new form. Some had wondered if his IS was in its 2nd Shift form but if it was, they would've been notified. With his IS now adjusted, Raiden reached behind his back and pulled out the Blazefire Saber. As he did, the gunblade turned into its blade form before becoming a long sword.

Raiden takes off and meets Houki at the same height, about a few meters away. Houki however had something to say.

"How do you feel, Raiden?" She asked in concern. Raiden knew what she was thinking. She was wondering if he was alright given the wounds he had from the Silver Gospel.

"I'm good. I've fully recovered." That made Houki calm herself down. Although she asked in concern of her crush, this was also her first practice fight with Akatsubaki and against Raiden of all people. She wants this to go without any interruptions whatsoever.

"What about you? Are you ok?" asked Raiden.

With confidence in her heart, Houki responded, "I'm ready."

She gets in a defensive stance with her two swords in each of her hands with Raiden doing the same with his gunblade. Houki then makes the first move and attempts to strike from below against Raiden, which he backs off, before swinging downward and meeting her blades with his.

Backing off, Houki then swung her swords and released the red beams from her IS. Raiden deflected both of them with his gunblade before switching it to its gun-mode and firing at Houki, sending her on the run from its bullets.

Seeing her coming towards him, Raiden switched his gunblade into blade mode and engaged Houki in close combat before locking her blades with his. Unleashing his lascannons at close range made Houki back off immediately to get out of the way of those beams before re-engaging Raiden again.

The two landed on the ground of the arena before they proceeded to their fight. Houki gritted her teeth as she swung her swords at Raiden, which made him deflect and parry every single one. She then comes upward which the force of it made Raiden jump up into the air before he fires his lascannons at Houki. Houki moves out of the way of those cannons and responds back with a couple swings of her sword, producing the red energy beams from it and heading fast towards Raiden.

Raiden was about ready to deflect her beams with her sword as he prepared himself for the timing.

But then suddenly…

(Thump THUMP!)

A heartbeat sound was heard as Raiden widened his eyes and stood still, unable to move. He took the hits head-on from Houki's red beams before something caught ahold of him. A red/black energy like cloud emerged from behind Lion Heart and wrapped itself in tendrils around Raiden's body. It took a hold of Raiden and crushed his body slowly as the sounds of crushing metal from his IS were heard. It wrapped itself around Raiden's arms, legs, and neck, choking him. Raiden screamed in pain as blood slowly began to emerge from his body and drip slowly onto and off the IS. The drops only continued to drip faster and become larger in terms of volume.

Everyone looked up in fear. Something was definitely not right. Scanners showed Raiden's vitals going critical; his heartbeat, blood pressure, and brain wave activity were going off the charts, beyond what a normal human could sustain. Some of the girls shunned their eyes away while others held their hands to their mouths, Cecilia and Charlotte included. All others watched in utter horror, while a few like Laura and Rin gritted their teeth.

"What's happening?" asked Ichika as he saw his big brother suspended and incapacitated.

"Raiden, shut it off! Can you hear me? You have to shut it off!" called Chifuyu on the comm but she was getting no response from the other side. Fear once again began to take a grip on her heart.

Houki immediately flew up to Raiden and attempted to help him.

"Raiden! What's wrong?"

"Get back!" Raiden said stutteringly but his voice could not reach to Houki.

Suddenly, the energy-like cloud surround Raiden struck at Houki, sending her crashing down to the arena, only for her to be caught by Ichika who made it just in time as he caught his childhood friend by her IS' wings.

"Ichika?"

"Are you alright?" Ichika asked as he set Houki to the ground.

Houki looked over to see that the right leg of her IS sustained somewhat heavy damage from that attack, along with some strange small black crystal-like objects staining her IS as a purple lightning surrounded it. But that was the least of her concern. She looked up to see that Raiden was in no worse for wear as the situation became worse. Black lightning surrounded Raiden's body as the energy readings increased. Then, a black crystal shard from the energy cloud impaled Raiden from behind, giving off a most frightening sound like that of penetrated flesh.

Raiden's IS then began to glow bright light slowly but surely. It made everyone cover their eyes as the light was too bright to see before hearing a massive explosion of energy that left nothing but smoke in the air.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Chifuyu as everyone seemed to have recovered.

Then screams were heard as Raiden, without his IS, fell from the sky fast, his IS suit torn somewhat and his body bleeding from all limbs of his body. He was nearing the floor before being caught by Charlotte in her IS who, with tears in her eyes, tried to shake Raiden up as she landed on the ground.

"Raiden? Raiden, wake up! Raiden!"

* * *

"I hope he is alright…"

The changing room that became Ichika's personal area made him really insecure. Raiden was unconscious after what had happened and was taken to the infirmary immediately due to his blood loss, his IS detained as well to check over what had happened. When asking Chifuyu what had happened, she didn't exactly have a clear answer but she speculates it has to do with the Feral Mode in Lion Heart. In her heart though, she believes Tabane must've messed up, prompting her to call her up in secret.

While he was concerned for his foster older brother's sudden collapse during the duel, he was also concerned about his IS. To that end, after putting on his IS suit, he summoned Byakushiki's control panel to begin his adjustments.

 _Mn...Setsura does take up too much energy. Can't I control that a bit?_

As he continued to think about it, his eyes suddenly went dark as he felt two warm hands come over them.

"Guess who?"

 _Huh? Huh? Huh? Wh-Who's that?_

The voice that came from behind him sounded even more mature than his classmates, but the slightly cheeky tone made it feel as if it's a kid who loves to play pranks. The fingers covering his eyes were somewhat dry and icy cold. The fingers felt really comfortable, and he was in a daze for several seconds.

"Okay, time's up."

Ichika turned around to see who's the one who released her fingers and asked,

"...Who are you?"

She's a girl he doesn't know. No, looking at the conversation just now, he doesn't think that answered the question.

"Ufufu."

The girl in front of him has a tie that signifies that she's from the second year. Showing a happy smile as she stared at this puzzled person, she then raised a fan that Ichika had no idea where she got it out from and raised it to her lips. Looking at her again, this second year is really enigmatic. She looks rather carefree and gives off a rather relaxing presence that he doesn't hate. But the smile on her face is of the complete opposite. It looks teasing, and in another sense, he can't calm down.

In other words, he is worried that 'She would do something to me'. It feels that she's hard to read, really mysterious.

"Are you—"

"Ah."

The second year looked behind him, and he turned to look there to see what's going on—

"Fooled you!"

Ichika's face got smacked with the fan before Tatenashi left him.

"Bye bye! I need to go see my Raiden in the infirmary. You better hurry up or else you'll get scolded by Orimura-sensei."

"Huh?!"

Feeling a bad premonition, Ichika turned to look at the clock on the wall. It's already 3 minutes past the start of lesson time. All thoughts and emotions left him immediately at the sight of this.

"UAAAAHHHHHH! OH-OH NO—I'M DEEEAAADDDD!"

He again turned to look at that culprit, only to see that there's no one there now.

 **A little later…**

"...And that's your excuse for being late?"

The instructor from hell, Orimura Chifuyu didn't have a look of sympathy on her face at all.

"No, well, about that? I'm saying that a girl just walked up to me—"

"Say the girl's name out then."

"I-I told you that I met her for the first time!"

"Oh? So, you put 'Chit-chatting with a girl you met for the first time' as a higher priority and came late for lesson?"

"No, that's not—"

There was no room for interruption at all.

"Dunois, prepare for Rapid Switch training, the target will be this idiot. Don't mind."

Having a hint of hope in his heart, Ichika turned to look at Charlotte. She returned him with a radiant smile.

"Then, Orimura-sensei, I'll start the training."

"Good."

The smile that Charlotte had while her eyes were closed was not one of a goddess but rather that of a heartless angel. Her IS floated into the air, and the particles of light gathered in her hands, forming the shape of a gun.

"Well, Charlotte...san?"

"What is it, Orimura-kun?"

"Well…it's just—you'd never do this, right? We're friends…right?"

"Let's go, Revive."

Ichika's voice got overpowered by the sounds of bullets. Raiden, hearing it from the infirmary, takes his pillow and covers his ears with it, the pounding noises irritating his head.

* * *

The school was assembled at its assembly hall. Ichika could only look with a fatigued look as the temples of his head began to bulge on him. Suffering at the mercy of Charlotte was not fun for him, not that he blames her for it.

As the assembly was wrapped up, the same girl with the short blue hair that Ichika saw at the changing room stepped up to the microphone. Before she could speak however, she procured up a life-size hologram of Raiden, which showed him lying in his hospital bed fully awake and aware of his surroundings and where he was projected at. Everyone was speechless and wondered how or why Raiden was even up there on stage in the first place. Moreover, why would the student council president even have such a thing and when did she have the time to build one?

"I am sorry for not introducing myself to you all so I will make this quick. My name is Tatenashi Sarashiki and I am your student council president. It is nice to meet you all."

Tatenashi then turned her head to make direct eye contact with Raiden and blew a kiss to the wind in his direction. Raiden, deciding to play along with her antics, decided to catch it and held it close to his heart. This confused some of the girls while another bunch were shocked at the sight, even the Representative Candidates.

Charlotte could only have her eyes wide open and a smile that spells pure death. Houki, while shocked at first, clenched her fists so hard that it cracked the handles of her seat.

"Anyways, as for the school festival coming this month, I wish you all the best for coming up with what you want to do as a class. Dismissed!"

Everyone soon departed the assembly hall and back to their classrooms for their daily lessons.

 **After class…**

After school, on the same day, the class had a last-minute meeting in the classroom. Right now, everyone's deciding on what booth the class should set up.

"Erm..."

As the class representative, Ichika had to gather everyone's views, but—

The contents included 'Orimura Ichika's Cowbot Club', 'Play Twister with Hataru Raiden', 'Eating biscuit sticks with Hataru Raiden' and 'Play King's Game with Orimura Ichika?

"Denied."

"Ehhhh?!" The cries echoed throughout like a surround system.

"You would be happy about setting up such a booth!?" asked Ichika with a bit of fear in him.

"I'll be happy! I promise!"

"That's right, that's right! You and Hataru-sama have the duty to service the girls until they're happy!"

"Orimura Ichika and Raiden Hataru are shared property!"

"Just treat it as if you're helping others!"

Ichika looked around for help, but Chifuyu herself wasn't around anymore. She was most likely going to check up on Raiden in the infirmary.

 _It seems like it'll take quite some time, so I'll head back to the infirmary to check up on Raiden. Tell me the results later._

That only served to tick Ichika off. Then again, his sister probably wouldn't give him any advice whatsoever. If Raiden were here though, maybe he could get some advice from him. Then again, he would probably say something on the lines of 'Don't ask me.' In desperation, Ichika turned to Yamada-sensei for help.

"Yamada-sensei, we can't use these weird ideas, right?"

"Huh? You, you want my suggestion? Huh, erm...well, I-I think the eating biscuit sticks together sounds good..."

Yamada-sensei blushed as she said this. If anything, she was nothing but a landmine.

"Anyway, how about some normal suggestions?"

"How about a maid café?"

Of all the people in the classroom, Laura was the one who came up with the idea Everyone, including Ichika, was stunned.

"It should be popular amongst the customers, right? And we can earn revenue if we sell food and drinks. I remember that outsiders can enter school through an invitational ticket system, so a lot of people would want a place to rest."

Though she's saying that with the same old cold tone, these words really differed from her image a lot, and everyone in class had to spend some time to understand.

"Huh, erm...how does everyone feel about this?" asked Ichika.

Even though it's by majority, all the girls still looked stunned.

"Isn't this good? We'll just let Ichika and Raiden be in charge of being the butler or cooking."

Charlotte said that, probably to speak up for Laura as she attracted all the girls' attention.

"ORIMURA-KUN AND HATARU-SAMA, AS A BUTLER!? ME, ME!"

"AND THEN, AND THEN!?"

"WHAT ABOUT THE MAID OUTFITS? I'M IN CHARGE OF MAKING THE CLOTHES IN THE DRAMA CLUB, SO I CAN SEW THEM!"

The class just went intense out of a sudden. Ichika began to feel that he'll be pouring cold water over the girls if he would hold back their passion at this point, so he is hesitating on whether he should stop them. Oh, how he wished Raiden was not interred into the infirmary due to his accident.

 _Oh well, let's just treat it as a café with very weird uniforms_.

And thus, Class 1-1 decided to set up a modified maid café. A "Service Café".

* * *

It was just another bright day at the Academy for our dense blockhead hero. Despite being a Sunday, the students all gathered in their respective classes about the upcoming festival and the themes they had.

Having finished discussion, Ichika walked out, only to see the time on his watch.

"Oh no! It's already time for my special training!"

Ichika tried to make a way for the changing room but a voice stopped him.

"Yo!"

Ichika then turned around and saw the same blue-haired girl earlier from the changing room and the assembly hall.

"S-Student council president?"

"Don't be so formal. Just call me Tatenashi." She then proceeded to walk up to Ichika.

"I-Is there something you need of me?"

"Per Raiden's request and given of his condition, I am going to be your IS coach for a while." she replied with a smirk.

"But why all of a sudden?" Ichika asked dumbfoundedly. "I already have so many…Raiden, Houki, Charlotte…I don't think I need anymore…"

"Of all of them, who has had the greater influence on you and your training?" Tatenashi asked.

"Greater influence? Then it would have to be Raiden, I guess… He seems to be very earnest and serious about making me stronger."

Tatenashi then thought out loud, "Hmm…That's what I thought…Looks like both your sister and your 'brother' were right about it too…"

"What? Chifuyu-nee and Raiden were right about what?" Ichika attempted to pry on the last part.

"Nothing. But anyway, you're still weak, aren't you?"

Ichika did not like that remark. He never liked being called weak as it only serves to anger him, which was natural but also taking the wrong way.

"I don't think myself to be that weak…"

"No, you are weak. Very, very, weak."

He couldn't hold it in any longer, so he pointed a finger at her to give a piece of his mind, but was stopped by a fan pointing close to his mouth.

"So to make you at least a little better until Raiden heals up, I'm going to give you training personally."

Ichika's anger soon peaked at its highest.

"Must you say all that?! Fine, I challenge you to a duel! If you lose, I will have you take back everything you said!"

Tatenashi merely grinned,

"Mmhmm. No problem! In exchange though, you will give Raiden an offer to join the Student Council as its Vice-President."

That made Ichika confused for a brief moment before Tatenashi disappeared from his view.

* * *

 **At the dojo…**

Tatenashi-san and Ichika were facing each other on the tatami dojo after school. Right now, they look like martial artists from ancient Japan who had been wearing the white torso guard and the navy blue hakama.

"Okay, as for the winning conditions, you win if you can make me fall onto the ground. But on the other hand, I win if you can't continue to fight. Will that do?"

"Huh, no, wait, hold on..."

 _Isn't that too disadvantageous to senpai?_ Just when Ichika wanted to say that, she said first,

"I'll win anyway, so it doesn't matter."

Even though Ichika knew it was a low-level taunt, he couldn't help but get angry as he got into a defensive stance.

 _When I was learning Kendo at Houki's dojo, I also trained in ancient barehanded martial arts in anticipation that the blade would break_. _My body already remembered that skill, and I wouldn't forget it completely even though I'm somewhat estranged to it._

"I'm coming over." exclaimed Ichika.

"Anytime you're ready."

The smile didn't vanish from Tatenashi's face at all, and the casual expression made her all the more enigmatic.

Ichika firmly slid his foot over and grabbed Tatenashi's arm. However, she immediately countered and grabbed him, and his body got tossed hard onto the tatami mat. For a moment, Ichika lost his breath. He felt tremendous pressure within his lungs, and after choking out some air, Tatenashi's finger seemed to be searching for his carotid artery as she stroked him.

"That's win number one."

After letting him realize that she could kill him in that situation, Tatenashi let go of him.

 _She's strong!_ _I can't beat Tatenashi-san if I don't have the attitude of going against Chifuyu-nee._ That's what he thoroughly realized. But if that's the case, Ichika can't take action casually. Things just got sticky.

"Mn? You're not coming over? I'm going over then!"

She suddenly closed in on him quickly. The way she slid on the floor was perfect. With the sounds of three hits on the elbows, shoulders and abdomen got hit lightly, and while his body stiffened in reflex, Tatenashi landed her palms on Ichika's chest. The air in his lungs got forced out, shaking his consciousness. And then...

"Watch your feet."

Ichika back's landed hard on the tatami mat. And as he got thrown- it seemed that she used the 'penetrate' move to touch several of his joints. Even though he tried to get up immediately, the slight numbness made it hard for him to move around easily.

"That'll be two wins for me. Do you want to fight on?"

Her clothes completely unruffled, Tatenashi gave him a gentle smile. But since Ichika was stubborn, how could he give up so easily?

"It's not over yet. I can still fight...!"

But even though he said that, his body was still unable to move. He breathed in deeply, and got myself up as he exhaled.

"Mn, hardworking guys are really amazing. I guess that's why I find Raiden so fascinating."

Deep inside, Ichika commanded his legs that were wobbling, and barely managed to stop himself from wobbling any further. Tatenashi faced him again. Even though she's been giving him the same smile all this time, to Ichika, it's a terrifying face that's hidden deep within.

 _Calm down...calm down...I'm not facing a monster. Since my opponent's a human who can stand on both legs, there's a way to beat her._

Ichika took in two deep breaths.

"Mn, you're serious now."

Facing his silent response, Tatenashi responded silently as well. At this moment, there's a really tense feeling between them, as if both sides are about to use their killer moves.

 _Got to have the determination to take down the opponent in one hit...let's go!_

Ichika utilized the Shinonono ancient martial arts hidden technique 'No Rhythm' to break Tatenashi's 'still' with his 'move'—and attacked before his opponent could.

Perhaps feeling that his speed now is completely different from behind, Tatenashi took half a step back to gain a suitable distance.

 _I win!_

Before Tatenashi's foot landed, Ichika reached out and grabbed her arm to swing her out, but suddenly…

 **BAM!**

This time, Ichika was the one who fell forward as his chest landed directly on the tatami mat. He started coughing, and his consciousness became all blurry. But Ichika used his momentum to suppress this unbearable feeling and grabbed Tatenashi's ankle.

"Oh my."

"It's my win now!"

Ichika forcefully swung her ankle up and grabbed the body of the opponent that was flying back.

"That's too naive."

Icika did manage to grab her from under her armpits, and yet she used her right hand to support herself on the tatami mat in an unbelievable manner. She then spun around to shake him off before landing a Capoeira kick.

"What?"

"Your attack's not too bad. But it is still weak."

Ichika finally realized what she meant by the 'strongest'. It isn't just some bluff or daydream, but a down-to-earth fact.

Even so, Ichika couldn't afford to lose to her. Right now, he can only hang on. This is the only part he can't succumb, a man's determination. Or a man's arrogance

"GYYAAAAAHHH!"

Even though his body got kicked, Ichika landed on his hands and feet before rushing forward. In front of me, Tatenashi already recovered as she smiled.

 _At this point, I'll use any means! Anyway, I can't lose here!_

Ichika hastened himself again and grabbed at Tatenashi's hakama. He tried to pull her, only for her cleavage to be exposed.

In the end...

"Ahh..."

"Kya~"

Tatenashi's torso guard was completely open, and the cleavage that covered in the bra bounced out. She brought her hands over her cleavage to cover it up.

Even if he wanted to find an excuse, this situation's completely Ichika's fault. Wavering inside, he was full of openings. Tatenashi didn't shriek at all as she quickly pushed his hand aside.

"Ichika-kun…"

"W-What?" asked Ichika who was standing still in fear.

Tatenashi then smirked and said "Only Raiden is allowed to experience my breasts."

And at the next moment, Ichika fully experienced the wrath of the Student Council President. His face took the full swing of Tatenashi's right hook and a scream was heard from that.

* * *

Fire was everywhere. But fire not in its natural color. Rather, a fire that burned purple and black. To say that it was much hotter than ordinary fire would be the best way to describe it. Black clouds with a tinge of red swirled all over violently, with a wind force similar to that of a hurricane. Then, the sound of a deep voice, almost like that voice was a god, spoke out in pain.

 _It's hot. Burning…My body, My throat…Burning!_

 _It's alright now. Just relax._ A womanly voice answered in assurance.

 _Who…are you?_ The vision suddenly turns to blackness before light penetrates through.

Raiden wakes up with a groggy vision. It was unpleasant at best, even with the blinds covering the windows. The sun had managed to shine its rays through a few of them, making Raiden's vision worse for wear. He had recalled of how he had collapsed after that duel with Houki, which must've worried her and the other girls greatly. The time was already three o'clock in the afternoon, which meant that Raiden was asleep for the past six hours.

Raiden tried to sit up but he felt a big bulge in his head that was keeping his head down. It felt like a big, thick rope tied around his brain and slowly crushing it. It was clear to Raiden that he was not feeling great yet he didn't really have any fever of sorts.

Raiden stretched his arms out before they made contact with two, soft balls. He gave a squeeze and they felt good. Yet there was a strange object on those balls which was pointy and soft. Raiden looked up and saw Tatenashi with a smile, along with a lustrous blush on her face. The realization then dawned onto Raiden.

His head was on Tatenashi's lap and his hands grabbed her breasts.

"Uwah!" Raiden yelled as he took his hand back in shock and surprise. Tatenashi, however, grabbed it and placed it back onto her chest.

"Arah, Aruji-sama. I didn't think you do this sort of thing in the morning." said the kinky cat.

"Keep telling yourself that. Argh!" Raiden said as he groaned and held his head due to his migraine. Not to mention that his breathing became a little ragged as his lungs struggled for air whenever he inhaled.

"Mou." pouted Tatenashi as she held her breasts up shamelessly in front of Raiden's face. "And I thought you touching these babies would cure you of your migraine."

Raiden could only roll his eyes upward and slightly shake his head in annoyance. Then Tatenashi lifted herself off of Raiden before setting his head gently back against the pillow. She then took a cool, wet towel and placed it over Raiden's head, chilling down his temperature for a bit before grabbing another damp towel and using it to wipe Raiden's face and neck.

"Hey." Tatenashi asked as Raiden looked toward her. "Have you considered my offer from Ichika?"

"You mean the offer where I would join the Student Council as its Vice-President free of charge while you give special training for Ichika?" asked Raiden.

"The same." She answered with a smile and eyes closed, if not a bit of a giggle.

"I'm still thinking about it." answered Raiden bluntly. Tatenashi then swiftly got herself on top of Raiden and lowered her body parallel to his, her face and Raiden's in close proximity to one another.

"Here. Maybe this will change your mind." Tatenashi said as she grabbed Raiden's head with her hands and gently lowered her lips to meet his. Her tongue interacted with Raiden's as he was slightly shocked by her move. Usually, he would be the one to make the first moves but given of her nature, he would guess that it was now her turn to do the honors.

Sinking into the intoxication of the kiss that he found addicting, Raiden slowly moved his hands around Tatenashi's back before his right hand groped her left buttock, earning a small moan from the girl. Then, in a move that surprised Tatenashi, Raiden began to suck on her tongue, drinking in her saliva. This act, combined with the groping of her buttocks was enough to send Tatenashi over edge as she moaned her loudest yet.

Both lovers released the hold over their mouths as they panted for breath and Tatenashi's mouth was dripping a little of saliva as it trickled from the side of her mouth. She then laid herself on top of Raiden.

"Well? How's that?" Raiden could only smile back and said,

"Alright. I'll accept your offer."

"Yay! Now you get to be mine permanently." Tatenashi exclaimed as she kissed Raiden before she hopped off. "Get better for me, please."

"And where are you going?" asked the blind boy.

Tatenashi then said, "I need to go treat Ichika. He pulled my top over during a spar and was knocked out in the process. Only you get to touch these." She then pulled her breasts up as they jiggled a little. Raiden could only shake his head in a bit of annoyance.

"Serves him right, I guess?"

Tatenashi could only chuckle and say, "Get better, Rai-Rai." She then left, leaving Raiden slightly annoyed.

 _Rai-Rai, my ass! That just sounds so cringy!_

Raiden then heard a laughter on his right and found the spiritual image of his Mentor, Akane, laughing hard.

"Haha! That was a good one." said Akane.

"Hey, if someone like her gave you a nickname like that, how would you feel?!" retorted Raiden.

"Oh relax. I gave Miri her nickname just because it was too hard to pronounce it."

"That was an exception. This is someone else entirely."

"You mean that same someone who you have been living with for the past half-year…" said a smirking Akane. That made Raiden grunt loudly in irritation.

"Sigh. I need a drink. Send one down here."

"Sorry, but that isn't an option for someone sick like you." said Akane as she took a puff of her cigarette.

"Says the same woman who had been drinking beer even though she was ill." Now it was Akane's turn to be irritated. Oh, how she wanted to punch her protégé for that remark. Then again, it'd be bad not to punch a sick person even if she were still alive.

* * *

"That's strange? Ichika."

"I-Ichika-san? I heard that you were training in the fourth arena!"

Unexpectedly, Charlotte and Cecilia are both at the third arena. Maybe they're here to train? They're still in their IS suits even though there IS' are removed.

On seeing Ichika and Tatenashi, an intriguing look appeared on their faces,

"...Who's that?"

Ichika didn't know if she's mindful of Tatenashi, but Cecilia asked that with an unhappy look.

"Ce-Cecilia, that's the Student Council President."

"Ohh. Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing that face before."

Charlotte's feeling anxious about Cecilia, who's rude due to her bad mood, as she tries to round this off, but that kindness was wrecked cleanly. Charlotte really has it tough though.

"Mn, don't be so mean. Ah, I'm now Ichika-kun's personal trainer, so we will have chances to talk to each other in the future."

"Oh. Is that right?" asked a confused Charlotte.

"Ichika-san!" cried Cecilia, with a blush coming over her face.

"Wait, w-wait! This was just the outcome of my challenge to her! Ugh!"

Seeing Cecilia close in, Ichika said something that sounded like an excuse.

"We promised that the loser will have to listen to the winner, right?" Tatenashi smiled as she said that, make things more complicated.

"Ichika-san!"

As expected, Cecilia wanted to fight with him. It's really hard to convince her nowadays.

"Then let's begin. We'll follow the people with experience. Charlotte-chan and Cecilia-chan, please use the Shooter Flow to spin around in a Circle Rondo for him to see."

"Huh? But these are shooting-type fighting maneuvers."

"I can do it, but...this is for helping out Ichika-kun, right?'

It seems like both of them realized it, and Ichika was the only one here who got left aside.

"Is that because his Second Shift has a long-ranged—shooting attack?" asked Charlotte.

"Mn, you're rather sharp. But that's not all." said Tatenashi with a flick of her fan.

*Clap Clap*. Tatenashi patted her palm with her fan and continued,

"In a shooting contest, the most important thing is the control. But if I have to classify a particle cannon that can't be fired consecutively, it's more like a sniper rifle. In other words, it has penetrating power that can kill in one hit. But everyone knows that Ichika-kun's shooting ability isn't suited for long-ranged combat."

"So he would deliberately—"

"Defeat his opponent at close range." said Cecilia.

"That's right. You're really sharp, Cecilia-chan."

Tatenashi opened her fan and praised Cecilia. Looking closely, there's the pretty words 'wonderful' on it. When did she change those words?

"Charlotte-chan and Cecilia-chan seem to be ready, so just watch."

Tatenashi clapped twice to begin the session.

"Then, let's begin."

"Ichika-san, please watch me."

The Rafale Revive Custom II and Blue Tears spun at each other. But the two units didn't move close to each other as they moved to the right. Both of them continued to fly around the cannon-hole shaped arena with their backs against the wall.

"I'm going over then, Cecilia."

"Bring it on."

The two gradually accelerating units soon started firing. Both of them continued to spin about as they started evading while accelerating infrequently, returning fire in the meantime as they continued to move around quickly without slowly down.

"As expected of Cecilia, your skills are good."

"You too, Charlotte-san. I can't imagine that to be a second generation frame with that mobility."

As they continued to talk, both of them increased their firepower.

"This is..."

"Mn, Ichika-kun, you understand the great thing about this? They have to move at high speeds and shoot. They need to focus on dodging and shooting at the same time, so it's hard to do it like them if you can't be one with your machine."

The PIC controlling the machine was originally set to automatic, but it's hard to maintain such delicate motions in that situation. But if Ichika set it to manual, he would have to pilot the machine as well. To be honest, that's really difficult for him but not so much for Raiden as he heard.

 _I have to stay calm. Don't think about anything else and just focus on those two things...not good, my head's hurting._

*Fuu*. Ichika got blown at the ear...wahh, when did she move behind Ichika?

"I-ICHIKA-SAN?"

"WH-WHA-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Noticing him, the two shooters raised their volumes. And then, both of them gave a 'It's over' sound as they got hit by the torrent of gunfire. Perhaps they lost control as the tremendous impact caused them to lose balance and knock into the wall.

"Are-Are you alright?" asked Ichika as he came over.

"How could we be..." said Charlotte with a sheepish smile.

"Of course not!" said Cecilia.

Both of them got up and immediately, Cecilia rushed towards Ichika.

"We were practicing so seriously! What were you fooling around with?"

"No, no, I wasn't fooling around..."

"YOU WERE FOOLING AROUND!"

"...Yes."

Remaining in the arena were Ichika, who's being closed in, the enraged Cecilia, the chuckling Tatenashi and the sighing Charlotte who could only think to herself as she looks at the infirmary building.

 _I wonder how Raiden is doing…_

* * *

Raiden grew really bored in that infirmary. Even though his head was still hurting, it didn't completely immobilize him. It was only enough for him to be temporarily out of commission. Then again, he was well aware that if he was caught by Chifuyu, he would be sent back for health and safety reasons.

But damn the health and safety reasons. A small migraine like this would never keep him down forever. Besides, if anything, he should be up and about just to get his blood flowing. It was already late in the afternoon as well and the sun will be setting soon. Plus, these beds in the infirmary were not the best in terms of comfortableness and he really needed something more soft. He could just sleep anywhere but he prefers his bed in his dorm room.

Getting up and out of the bed was a bit of a hassle. Raiden's vision turned a bit black for a moment and almost made him lose his balance. He was able to at least grab hold onto one of the infirmary bed's handles for support to set himself up straight. After adjusting his vision, Raiden decided to leave the infirmary and make his way to his dorm room.

Once he got to his dorm room, Raiden could only sigh. This day had been nothing but trouble for his part. From collapsing during his duel with Houki to being interred into the infirmary for the majority of the day…Why must he always have this kind of cruel and unfortunate fate on him? Then again, he has been through much, much worse.

Raiden opens the door, only to see Tatenashi naked with nothing but an apron on herself.

"Welcome back. Do you want dinner, a bath, or... do, you, want, me?"

Raiden could only look dumbfounded. Did Tatenashi even knew he was coming back? Or is this a reward for convincing him to join the Student Council as its Vice-President?

Raiden closed the door for a moment. He has just had enough of these antics for a day. Then again, it's probably just his migraine getting the best of him. He then opens the door again.

"Welcome back. Do you want dinner, a bath, or... do, you, want, me?"

Raiden said in response as he entered in the room and closed the door, "You make it sound as if I want to choose the third option."

Tatenashi could only chuckle in response. "Well, it is my room. After all…" She then brought herself over to Raiden and wrapped her arms around him, making him feel her breasts from behind that apron.

"You belong to me."

"When was I ever your property?" joked a smirking Raiden as his hands touched to her buttocks before groping them slightly.

Tatenashi could only laugh again before she gave a kiss to Raiden on the lips. The taste of her never left Raiden as he kissed back before their lips separated.

"I've got a surprise for you." whispered Tatenashi to Raiden's ear.

"First, I need a chair and some saké." said Raiden which Tatenashi pulled out to.

"You know, alcohol isn't healthy for a sick person like you." said the girl.

"Make sure you have the water ready then. After all, I have taken care of someone like this before."

Raiden could recall those days when his Mentor, Akane, was sick or not feeling well. She always drank beer which only made things worse and Raiden and to force-feed her some water despite some protests. Stubbornness was a good term to describe one aspect of Akane's personality. But it is also something that Raiden has picked up on as well.

After getting situated in a relaxing chair with the _saké_ , Raiden watched as Tatenashi approached him seductively, swinging her hips back and forth before she came to stop. Then, in a swift motion, she turns around and sticks her bottom up to Raiden, who was startled for a bit and nearly shocked on his saké.

"JYAN! There's a swimsuit underneath it~"

Raiden could only stay silent and have his mouth slightly ajar from that reaction.

"Fuu, are you disappointed?"

Raiden smiled and said "No. You look really sexy in it."

"Aha. You're blushing, aren't you?"

Raiden turned his head away a little to the right and said, "Mmm…maybe."

Tatenashi looked like she wanted to show herself in the swimsuit as she stuck her butt out, looking really radiant. She then turned around and sat herself on top of Raiden before taking his right cheek in her hand and turning him to face her. Her gaze met Raiden's before she took his sake cup and finished the rest of it and setting it down on the floor.

Raiden began to feel her grind a little on his lap, a feeling that made his blood boil somewhat. In truth though, this was nothing new to him. Ever since their first sexual activity in the shower last semester, both Raiden and Tatenashi have been doing it more and more occasionally. The timing though had to be right as their feelings for each other grew and grew. If there was one way to relieve stress, this was it.

"So how is the training going with An-chan?" asked Raiden as Tatenashi began to peck him on his neck with her lips.

"He's still got a long way to go." answered Tatenashi.

"Of course he does." sarcastically answered Raiden. "I knew I could count on you to take over when I collapsed earlier today."

"Still, you made me worried." said Tatenashi as she began to nuzzle. "Do you have any idea what had happened to you?"

"Chifuyu thinks that the Feral Mode in my IS is evolving or changing after being redesigned. She says it's probably nothing to be concerned of. But that only makes me worried."

"Well, why don't you forget your worries and focus on me for the rest of the day, hmm?"

The breathing from their lips made it audible for them to hear as were Tatenashi's moans before they gave a kiss to each other. It was only deepened as Raiden's left hand came to the back of Tatenashi's head and made her plunge a bit deeper, making her yelp in the kiss and grinding herself more and more on his lap.

 **Meanwhile…**

Houki quickly walked through the corridor of the second year dorm. She was holding onto a bag, and smiling a bit at times. The results of cooking the first time this month were good. Expecting the response Raiden would give once he ate this masterpiece of hers, Houki couldn't help but naturally move faster.

 _Because that guy always liked to eat this._

She made a beancurd-skin sushi that her mother taught her directly. The slightly thick beancurd is soaked and cooked until the flavor enters it, and the rice and other condiments are added to it to achieve perfect balance.

After training with her, Raiden would often eat a lot of this superb combination that had the sensation of the flavorful soy sauce and the aftertaste of the clear vinegar rice.

 _But he needs something healthy. And he hasn't eaten anything lately._

She initially went to the infirmary to find Raiden but he wasn't there. It could only mean that he had returned to his dorm room. But whether he was feeling better or not is unknown.

In Houki's memory, she still recalled how helpless she was when Raiden suddenly collapsed and didn't move. It made her feel powerless, just like how she didn't have a Personal IS. Not only that, but her IS was detained to remove the small black crystal-like structures formed on her IS when she was attacked. She knew that Raiden would never do something like that so willingly. But at the same time, she knew not what had hit her. Regardless, she did her best to brush off her concerns and set off quickly to Raiden's room.

She still recalled how her first meeting of him was, how she always watched his every move and couldn't help but fall in love with him. How that day in the rain from the dojo when he came to help him before he revealed a part of his past. It was only through the aftermath of the Silver Gospel and during the festival at her family's shrine did her feelings for him cemented permanently.

And now though he had a vestige of his former self left, he gradually gave off a mature man's presence. That open-minded and down-to-earth personality that he had despite his traumatic past, of which she only knows a small portion of it.

Basically, he gradually became the type Houki liked.

 _U-Um, I should train myself to be more like a woman. I don't know what kind of woman that guy likes, because there's no downsides to being a good woman._

Confirming these thoughts in her heart, Houki happily accepted the accelerating heartbeat within her.

 _Raiden was in a mess during training today and now he was confined to the infirmary, so he would want something to motivate himself, right? Yes, yes!_

Even though she didn't forget that this could be a reason for both of them to be together, she completely forgot that the other girls might be having dinner with Raiden. She knew Charlotte to be one of the other two but who was the other one exactly? She never got a clear answer.

Houki quickened her already fast pace, and soon arrived in front of Raiden's door.

 _Alright. Got to act calm..._

After clearing her throat, she silently knocked on the door. But there was no one answering it.

 _Hm? Why isn't there a reaction?_ _Maybe I knocked too softly?_

Thinking about this, Houki knocked even louder.

"Who is it?" asked Raiden.

"It-It's me. Houki. I brought something for you."

"Houki?"

 _What's with that response? Saying that out of a sudden...!_

Houki was a little unhappy. But it would be bad to break this happy time, so Houki controlled her emotions.

"Can I go in?"

"I'm kind of busy at the moment."

This ticked Houki off a little, and she was prompted by her impulses of anger as she attempted opened the door. But the door wouldn't open, however, as it seemed that the door was locked.

"Raiden?"

"Like I said, I'm a little busy at the moment. Plus, my head still hurts." Raiden groaned at that last sentence.

As Houki felt weird about Raiden's tense voice given his migraine, a girl's voice could be heard from within.

"Arah, Aruji-sama, what are you doing? Ah, I know. You are afraid that others will find out that you're having an affair with me, right?"

It was a voice she had never heard before. Facing Raiden's attitude, Houki quickly deployed one of Akatsubaki's swords and sliced the door in half before barging in. The sight of what she saw sent her in a rage. She saw a near naked Tatenashi on top of Raiden's lap, with the latter half-naked given his shirt was pulled off by her.

"Raiden, you bastard...!"

"Houki, calm down! I can explain!"

"Explain what!? That you were being l-l-lewd with some girl doing some i-i-indecent things?!"

Facing the angry Houki, Tatenashi calmly called her, "Okay, okay, calm down. I was joking."

But the problem was her dress up. Seeing the naked apron from the front, Houki gradually raised her sword.

"Raiden!"

Even though Raiden managed to dodge her attacks with ease, the migraine forced him to the wall.

"YOU BROUGHT A GIRL BACK TO YOUR ROOM AND DID SUCH AN INDECENT ACT...DON'T YOU KNOW ANY SHAME!?"

As the sound of wind being cut could be heard, the sword was swung down. Though Raiden accepted it as his tessen was nowhere to be found in the room, Tatenashi stepped in between them.

"Oh my, how straightforward you are."

With a blunt sound, the blade was stopped. Tatenashi's right arm was holding onto a huge spear.

"Sorry, but I will be rather bothered if you want to let my Aruji-sama be a lost soul under the sword."

Casual sounding, she didn't leave any openings in her movement. Tatenashi spun the spear in a circle manner and blocked the Japanese sword, pressing it down under her weapon before swinging it up.

"Wha...?"

The weapon Houki was so used to wielding flew out of her hands because of the leverage, leaving her dumbfounded. The sword that was deflected by Tatenashi flew in the air and pierced into the ceiling wall hard.

"The winner's decided, I guess?"

"Gu...!"

Admitting defeat, Houki dispelled her IS to indicate surrender. Whether it was Houki or Raiden she was facing, the brightly smiling Tatenashi gently declared her superiority over them.

* * *

 **Three days later…**

Houki and Charlotte were both visiting Raiden in the infirmary as he was forced to go back to it by Chifuyu herself. Reports show that Raiden is improving from his unknown condition but must still be hospitalized for a full recovery. Earlier, it seemed as if everything was alright and the days would proceed as normal but Raiden had once again collapsed in the hallway

Raiden was currently sleeping, looking soundly and peacefully as his chest breathes up and down. Then again, it's hard to tell what he dreams of.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" asked Houki in concern as she holds onto Raiden's right hand with hers.

"Raiden is strong. I think he'll be fine." confirmed Charlotte as she briefly looked over at his readings. "His heartbeat is normal as is his brain wave activity. Plus his injuries seem to have recovered."

Houki was somewhat relieved but even still, the memory of seeing Raiden incapacitated by some unknown anomaly in his IS before it exploded and left him unconscious still clung to her. In response, she began to shake a little. However, she felt a hand on her right shoulder and turned to see Charlotte looking in concern and care.

"Hey. It wasn't your fault, Houki. No one could've seen this coming." reassured Charlotte but Houki wasn't convinced.

"But I couldn't do anything to save him." She said as tears started to form from her eyes. "I've tried to help him yet he always looks out for me. Ends up getting hurt in the process every time. I-I just…"

The tears soon began to fall and one by one, the sound of them hitting on Houki's skirt was heard throughout the infirmary. Her shoulders were shaking constantly and despite being a proud samurai warrior following the code of the Bushido, even the strongest of samurai can feel such emotion, especially for their loved ones.

"I just don't want him to suffer anymore, for me."

Charlotte already knew what Houki was talking about. She too acknowledged the fact that Raiden has often put his life in front of the line for his friends and the people he cares most for at a great risk. It has made him be hospitalized multiple times for whatever major injury he had sustained in his fights and Houki was always the first one to be at his bedside.

After calming down well enough, Houki's tears dried up, giving Charlotte the opportunity to speak up.

"There was a time when I asked him to be honest with himself." This made Houki look up to Charlotte as he held her sleeping friend's hand. "But I guess his past was so dark that a part of him must've felt uncomfortable talking about it."

Houki then asked, "So why must he continue like this?"

Charlotte did not have a definite answer to that question. She could only state a hypothesis out loud.

"My belief is that Raiden truly is a lion at heart. And like all lions, they protect their pride from whatever danger comes to them. And the one thing Raiden fears is losing that pride. Just as he doesn't want to lose you or me either."

Houki could only look at her crush in his deep sleep. His arms stretched out in front and laying at his sides. The breathing of the chest slowly rising up, only to fall back after the exhalation. Houki could hear the soft and gentle breathing even without putting her ear so close to him.

"I bet right now…" Charlotte continued. "That even with him in his deep sleep, he can hear us speak. Or perhaps dream of both of us even now."

Houki then asked "How long do you think he will be like this?"

Charlotte only gave a sad and fearful look and said, "I don't know. He usually recovers from physical injuries but never have I seen something like this. He wakes periodically but it doesn't last because of what had happened."

It was now Houki's turn to confess her thoughts of the situation. "I will never get use to seeing him like this every time. The second male IS pilot now in a comatose state, lying helpless until his body is restored." This statement made her grip Raiden's right hand with hers.

"I have a feeling from what we saw three days ago that he was caught unprepared. That he didn't knew what was happening to him." Charlotte said as she gripped Raiden's left hand. "We both love him, Houki, as he loves us too. We cannot lose faith and hope that he will return. And we cannot be fearful of something happening much worse than this."

This made Houki look up to Charlotte and see into her eyes that gave her a revelation. Charlotte just said that both she and Houki love Raiden, which meant that Houki had found herself a rival. Indeed, she has seen Raiden and Charlotte from time to time get closer ever since she revealed her gender.

"Just as much as you love him, so do I. I always have ever since I first met him." Charlotte confessed.

A small part of Houki's inner self twitched in anger but she kept it contained, for Raiden's sake. Plus, she had become good friends with Charlotte and the French girl sometimes allowed her to have Raiden from time to time. This had made Houki smile as for the first time in her life, she was alright with Charlotte being a rival for Raiden's affections.

"Well then, I won't lose to you, Charlotte!" said a confident Houki.

"And neither will I." said the French girl.

Houki and Charlotte couldn't help but smile, if not laugh a little. Although these two friends are rivals for Raiden's affections, they know full well that he loves them both as well just as much as they love him. The day will come when he has to pick one of them but until then, they can wait patiently.

Meanwhile, unknown to the girls, Raiden heard their conversation and smiled lightly and in a way that was unnoticeable. He was truly happy to have these two girls with him as his heart fluttered. In response to this, he lightly squeezes his hands to the two girls' hands that were holding his, never intent on letting go.


	18. Chapter 17: From Butler to Stark

**CHAPTER 17**

 **Author's Note:** There will be  HENTAI in this. If you are uncomfortable, please skip ahead to the next chapter.

* * *

It was one day before the school anniversary festival. Night had fallen given that everyone was sleeping, and a well-deserved rest they needed considering how everything was set up for tomorrow's festival, especially the maid café for Class 2-1. But of all the people tired from all the hard work, it was mainly the Student Council, particularly one individual who was made its Vice President.

Raiden had just stepped out of the hot shower with a large towel around his waist, his upper body still mostly wet from the shower. He was already exhausted given of his new position of the Vice President of the Student Council. Not only did he have to deal with his roommate/Student Council President/lover/most powerful IS pilot in the Academy clinging onto him most of the time, but he also filed out papers and visited each classroom with her to come to solutions on whatever problems they had. Raiden couldn't help but be sarcastic in his mind considering that most of the work he did could have been done by Tatenashi.

 _I wonder if the VP's work is the same as compared to the government._

All manners aside, Raiden earlier received a phone call from his boss, Miriam Walker, and of intel that the CIA had managed to procure from a snitch. The information wasn't exactly pleasing to hear.

* * *

 _Raiden was visiting his mountain cabin up in Yamanashi, the same cabin he grew up in as a child under the care of his Mentor, Akane Fujimoto. It was the weekend and he certainly needed some peace and quiet from all the ruckus going on at the Academy, especially considering how he was almost skewered by Houki for "playing around" with Tatenashi. Right now, he was outside drinking some sake and enjoying the peace and quiet until his phone rang up._

" _Did I hear that correctly, Miri?" asked Raiden over his phone._

" _Yes. The IS Academy may come under attack during its school festival this upcoming week." said Miriam Walker. "We don't know who exactly the perpetrator is though, but Japan's Public Security Intelligence Agency passed on information to the CIA from a snitch."_

" _I'm guessing this attack isn't just by some local mercenaries or goons hired by someone." said Raiden._

" _Not even remotely. But you are correct. From what the PSIA gave to us, they'll attack during the festival, not in its opening or closing. But the intel is sketchy."_

 _Raiden could only sigh. "Who the hell in their right mind would bother to attack the IS Academy like this?"_

" _I can only guess one thing. And you know the answer to that as well."_

 _Raiden didn't like where this was going, because he knew what Miri was talking about. Going against his mind, he asked,_

" _Phantom Task?"_

 _Miri immediately answered "Most likely." She then heard a crack on the other side of the phone as Raiden held a rock and crushed it underneath his right palm. At this point, she knew that he had a very unpleasant feeling course through him like wildfire. After all, Miri did make a promise to Akane before she died to properly take care and watch over Raiden, no matter what happened and no matter the cost._

" _Just be careful out there. You know they will be searching for you." said Miri in concern for her adopted child._

" _Let them try." said Raiden in a low voice. He then hung up the phone and looked out to the stars that shined tonight. It was already late yet with the new information revealed to him, he couldn't exactly sleep._

 _Raiden's eyes then give a familiar purple fiery mascara that illuminates in his left eye as he walks back inside before turning off the lights to get some sleep._

* * *

 _Sigh. Why? Why have they suddenly come back?_

Raiden couldn't get these questions answered and they most certainly wouldn't leave his head. The thought that Phantom Task would return just to attack the IS Academy; Raiden knew that this imminent attack had something behind it. A goal. But what was it?

After brushing his teeth and using mouthwash that left a pure breath of fresh mint, Raiden proceeds to use his shave brush to mix in the cream into the small granite plate. He was starting to grow some facial hair and for appearances due to the fact that both he and Ichika are needed as butlers, he had to get rid of it.

 _Only French and English butlers are allowed to keep their beards and mustaches._

After mixing in the cream well enough with the brush, Raiden was about to use the brush to spread it on his facial hair before hears a knock coming from his door, mainly the entrance door to the room. The knocking continued and Raiden set aside his shaving kit and brought out his Custom-made M9 Beretta that he uses as a CIA agent.

Raiden proceeds carefully to the door and gets close to it long enough for him to have his handle on the door. The door didn't exactly have a door eye given that it was just a plain wooden door with the room number on it.

Raiden was about to open the door and point his gun before he heard another knock and a familiar voice.

"Room service."

Raiden smirks after a brief moment and, lowering his M9 Berretta, opens the door and looks to see Tatenashi in her casual clothing. She had one arm over the doorway and another at her side as her hips leaned sideways, she was surprisingly wearing a sexy outfit of a blue and white Double-breasted lapel sexy dress. Her shoes were a white Michael Antonio strap heels.

A smirking Raiden said, "I didn't order anything. Not even you."

"I've got some new information." said a smiling Tatenashi as she entered the room while cupping Raiden's cheek along the way as he closed the door. Why did he have a feeling that in a few moments there will be girls coming over to overhear their conversation as they have always done lately in the past?

"Aren't you a little overqualified to be delivering messages?" asked Raiden as he returned to the bathroom.

"It's all part of being the Student Council President. But most of my messages for you involve the bed." Tatenashi then flipped her fan open to reveal the words "Hot Stuff" in response to Raiden's muscular body combined with the hot water dripping from him.

"No argument there." said Raiden as he went back to his shaving brush.

"All joking aside though," Tatenashi said as she watched Raiden from outside the bathroom door. "The information that the PSIA and CIA received from my family is still being deciphered and decrypted. Whoever is planning to attack us tomorrow, they're not going to reveal themselves until their right moment."

"Then it's only a matter of time while we play along with them." Raiden said as he applied the shaving cream onto his face. A thought then came in his head regarding the attacker's identity.

 _The Sarashiki family nor the PSIA do not exactly know that it is Phantom Task that will attack tomorrow at the festival. But why would the CIA want to keep quiet about that?_

"That's just the start. The attack tomorrow will be in the middle of the festival we have planned. Whoever is coordinating is playing a sadistic game."

 _A game of 'cat and mouse' or 'snatch and grab' most likely._ Raiden thought to his head. After he finished applying the shaving cream onto his facial hair, he took out a cutthroat razor and unsheathed it, catching Tatenashi's attention as she smiled.

"Cutthroat razor. How very traditional."

Raiden, still looking in the mirror while facing Tatenashi's reflection, remarked "Well, I've always liked to do some things the old-fashioned way." Tatenashi then approached Raiden closer.

"Sometimes the old ways are the best." Tatenashi replied which prompted Raiden to stop as he was about to bring the razor to his face to begin. Amused, Raiden turns around and hands Tatenashi the razor. She then asks,

"Are you putting your life in my hands again?"

"Wouldn't be the first time." said Raiden. With a smile of delight, Tatenashi led Raiden over to the bed to sit on its edge while she grabbed a towel and draped it over his right shoulder. Situating herself on Raiden's lap as her legs hung over the side, Tatenashi proceeded to begin the shaving process slowly and carefully.

Halfway done shaving, Raiden says "The CIA has already briefed me on the situation. Raising a tantalizing question of what you're really doing here."

"The official directive from them was to help..." Tatenashi said as she made another shave, finishing the right cheek. "In any way I can."

Raiden then asked "Like spying for Chifuyu?"

Tatenashi gave a smile and said "You know she is only doing this for your safety."

Raiden wasn't convinced. He felt that there was more to Chifuyu's actions than meets the eye when it comes to him despite knowing what those antics are.

"She should be concerned about Ichika."

Tatenashi then said "You should do your homework. Five years ago, Chifuyu lost a match-"

"Lost a match during the second Mondo Grosso tournament because her little brother was kidnapped by some unknown organization, leading her to forfeit the win."

Tatenashi, slightly surprised at what Raiden knew, said "Hmph. So there is more to her than meets the eye, then."

Raiden answered "We'll see." He then looked down and began to stroke Tatenashi's side as her dress became somewhat loose, with one shoulder strap slowly falling down her arm. Flattered yet not done with the shaving, Tatenashi brought her finger to Raiden's chin, bring his head up.

"Keep still." She said in a lustrous voice. "This is the tricky part." Bringing the cutthroat razor to the underside of Raiden's chin, she carefully and slowly shaves off the remaining bit of cream.

"There, that's better. You look apart now for tomorrow."

Raiden couldn't help but smile. And yet, his blood underneath his towel was starting to boil up.

"And what part is that?" asked Raiden as Tatenashi took a towel to wipe off the excess shaving cream from Raiden's face slowly. After that, she used some after-shave cream, rubbed it in her hands, and spread it all over Raiden's face to make his skin moist again. After all, dry and irritating skin after shaving is not exactly a pleasant feeling.

Tatenashi, after applying the after-shave cream, said in a seductive voice, "Old dog, new tricks."

Tatenashi, with her hands still cupping Raiden's face, then proceeded to meet her lips to his as Raiden immediately responded back.

Raiden slips his right hand behind her head as he deepens the kiss, their tongues coming into contact and tackling each other. The blood within his body began to boil more and more as did his breathing, which became more rugged. Tatenashi in turn, attacked with all of her might, trying to dominate the alpha lion not just with her tongue but also with her hands as she caressed the strong muscles around his shoulders, chest, and back, while also tracing her fingers over the scars collected from battles past. She uses her left hand to grip Raiden's hair as she moans from his French kiss.

Raiden then flips Tatenashi over onto the bed while kissing her, putting all of his weight onto her. Tatenashi responds back, attacking with such aggressiveness as her tongue plays with Raiden's before she begins to lick his face like a kitten would do to itself. Raiden then begins to undress her by removing the shoulder straps from Tatenashi's dress, setting her arms free, while pulling the dress downwards to expose her bra.

Her bra was pure pink and Raiden began to massage it gently before he slightly increased his roughness, earning a moan from the girl. If this girl had any weaknesses of her body, her breasts were her third while her thighs were her second. Tatenashi brings her hands over to Raiden's hip, which slowly began to rub against hers.

Tatenashi gasps and soon turns herself over with Raiden on the bottom as she removes the rest of her dress, leaving only her pink bra and panties on. She then begins to grind against Raiden's abdominal muscles, feeling something poking at her behind. She then leans down to give a deep French kiss on Raiden, sucking on his tongue as he responds back before his hands reached to her hips and then to her buttocks. He gives a light squeeze but it was enough for her to release her kiss and throw her head back in lust as she gathered her tangled thoughts together.

 _Raiden, I love you! I have always loved you! Just play with me all you want. Ravage me until there is nothing left of my soul!_

Raiden then shoots up and aggressively removes Tatenashi's bra before he buries his head in it, drowning in its feel and smell. It was soft yet not like the fur of an Akita dog as it had a slight firmness that was compared to that of a deer's skin. The scent and smell of it was of an aroma indescribable. Some would say it smells fruity, almost like peaches, with a hint of a vanilla perfume.

Raiden then began to kiss and lick on Tatenashi's right breast before he reached her perked up nipple. He then began to suck on it as Tatenashi moaned louder and louder, her voice filling in air as the ecstasy and blood rushed to her head, filling it with a pleasure that caused her to briefly roll her eyes backward as the ecstasy and blood rushed to her head, filling it with a pleasure that caused her to briefly roll her eyes backwards.

Afterwards, Tatenashi grabs Raiden and aggressively kisses him, saliva spilling from her mouth before she then proceeds to kiss him lower and lower as she then beheld her prize before her. Licking the shaft that was now rock hard, her hormones and urges sky-rocketed as she then decided to take it into her mouth. Using her breasts to wrap the thing around, she bops up and down fast and aggressively. Raiden proceeds to move upwards into her mouth, feeling her wet hole around his shaft as he grabs her head and moves it back and forth to her rhythm. They kept at this for a few minutes before Raiden felt himself ready to ejaculate. At that climax, she pushes as deep as he could into Tatenashi's mouth, to which she muffles greatly as she feels the warm milky substance explode in her mouth and going down her throat. Letting go of the flaccid object, a few more squirts decorated her face before the blue cat shoots up and kisses Raiden hard and aggressively.

Raiden flips her over and removes her panties by force. As he looked down at Tatenashi, she was currently lying on the mattress, her hands lying on either side of her head, while her legs were spread out on either side of Raiden, and her face and breasts decorated in his essence. She breathes in and out with every breath she takes in, and her ruby eyes are slightly glazed over, while her hair was spread out around her head and her lips moist and slightly open with a lustrous smile, her own saliva slowly oozing out from the side of her mouth. Her gesture showed that she was inviting Raiden in, as if to give a green light to enter into her.

Before that though, he does a bit of foreplay with his shaft at Tatenashi's lower front, playing and moistening it and making it wet. The teasing was too much for Tatenashi as she gripped the bed sheets hard, but they couldn't substitute the urge within her. Her hips move along with the foreplay of the shaft as the wait was killing her. Then, she climaxed at her highest and her shaft became even more moist with her own essence sprayed out.

Wasting no time at all, Raiden positions himself and pushes into Tatenashi, the girl wrapping her legs around Raiden as soon as he enters in. She lets off a loud moan as he enters, feeling the rod in her womb and much bigger than last time. He slowly pumps in and out but he gradually increases his speed as Tatenashi spews out profanities from her mouth, words that she would never say yet the ecstasy in her body was telling her to do so otherwise.

"UGH~! Raiden, I love you. I love you so much! Please! Fill me up. Give me all of yourself for me! Please! UGH~"

"Tatetanashi, I love you, too!"

To best shut her up and keep such words to herself, Raiden sealed her lips with his in order to muffle the cry. It was, however, too much as Raiden increased his speed more and more, moving the bed and also grabbing the front frame of it in order to grapple onto to something due to the pleasure coursing through him.

Tatenashi's mind was going crazy as her tongue left her mouth and hung to the side and her thoughts were haywire.

 _UGH! Yes! Fuck me, Raiden! Fuck me until there is nothing left! My innocence, my whole body, my everything…it's all yours! AUGH!_

She had no intention to flip over and take control, as Tatenashi wanted to feel like a slave used by her master. She loved the aggressiveness of the lion, the strong muscles that could break anything, the growls and grunts every time he entered in and out of her that would sometimes be silenced by sealing his lips with hers, it was exhilarating. She wrapped her arms around the lion's back as she gripped it hard, leaving a few scratch marks on its surface and drawing faint trails of blood.

Raiden was close to finishing as was Tatenashi but before they could reach their limit. Raiden stopped briefly before he lifted one of Tatenashi's legs and held it against his chest. He stood up straight as Tatenashi was turned to her side, feeling the shaft go much deeper than ever. In response to this, she continuously orgasmed nonstop, her essence spraying out in all directions as she screamed of pure pleasure and ecstasy.

 _AGH! This new feeling…UGH! I can't stop cumming. Cannot stop…_

Raiden had continued his speed just as he continued to be rough on the blue cat, grunting like a lion and roughly grabbing, with his left hand, Tatenashi's left breast and squeezing it as she gripped the bed sheets with her teeth and her fists which could not substitute for the pain and pleasure.

Raiden continued this for a few minutes before…

"AH! Yes, Yes Raiden! I'm gonna cum. I'm gonna cum! I'm-"

"I'M CUMMING!" Raiden yelled.

At the moment, Tatenashi lets off an uncut scream and Raiden growls his loudest. Pushing as deep as he could one last time their climaxes hit together and their essences mixed in with each other. Tatenashi, letting go of the bed sheets from her mouth, tilts her head back and arched her back as she felt Raiden's warmth intrude within her, feeling a burning sensation within her stomach that she found so pleasurable.

Tatenashi's body at this point felt like a dead corpse. After a moment of intense pleasure, she collapses onto the bed, feeling her beloved's essence spill slowly out of her as they cuddle up onto the bed. As they cuddled, Raiden's right hand came to Tatenashi's left in which they interlocked fingers before giving a tender kiss.

Their bodies were sweating and their breath emitting steam every time they exhaled. They looked into each other's eyes and found meaning and love. No words were needed before they fell asleep, their hands together with their fingers interlocked with one another.

* * *

The school anniversary's finally here. As the school anniversary's not opened to everyone, there won't be any opening fireworks, but the students' excitement was enough to fight against enemies, and everyone's feeling really pumped up.

"You're lying, right? You'll be greeted by that Orimura-kun and Hataru-sama if you go to class one?"

"And they'll will be wearing a tuxedo too?"

"And you can take photos with one of them if you win! A two-people photo! A two-people photo! We must go!"

And, in front of the 'Service Café' of class 1-1, everyone had been working their backs out since early in the morning. Even so, if Ichika had to put it, he and Raiden were the only ones who were really busy because he and Raiden were too popular and the latter had a lot of work to do on the Student Council, according to Tatenashi. The other people are all enjoying it as per normal.

"Welcome. Please walk here, ojou-sama."

Charlotte in the maid outfit looked really happy as she had been smiling since morning. On a side note, the attendants outside are Ichika, Charlotte, Cecilia, and unexpectedly, Houki and Laura. Raiden was kept inside to show the ladies to their table, with each girl falling under his "influence" as they would call it but it is mostly his charm.

Houki and Charlotte kept up a frontal face but on the inside, their moods were sour as they observed Raiden being "too friendly" with the girls. Oh how they wished Raiden wouldn't pay attention to those girls!

That really surprised Ichika. But his childhood friend Houki would sulk when Ichika told her to invite the customers in, so it didn't look like she would fit in anyway. She would look especially frustrated when the customers asked Raiden when he would be serving them...is it because she lacks calcium?

Seeing the girls in maid outfits running in and out, Ichika's heart fluttered for some reason. His old friend, Dan Rotanda, used to say "maid outfit, school swimsuit and bloomers! No guy will be unmoved by these three outfit!" or something like that.

Leaving that aside, the remaining classmates are divided into two groups. One's the cooking staff in the kitchen, and the other is the miscellaneous stuff. The miscellaneous stuff group's busy with the refilling of the food that's used up, the clearing of the tables, and controlling the crowds who're queuing up on the corridor, which would be the toughest for them. Giving the orders was Raiden, who sued a commanding voice for the cooks to get motivated and work their bones to the ground to ensure that every customer be satisfied.

Thinking about this, Ichika used the gap between the attendants to look outside the classroom and see a myriad of conversations taking place.

"Ah, there's a signboard for the last in line."

"Huh? What kind of games do they have?"

"I heard that there's janken, memory match, and dart shooting. It seemed that they designed these choices for the people who aren't good with certain games."

"Huh-can't we go in yet?"

The crowd outside seem to flood the entire first year corridor, and there's people, people, and more people everywhere. Ichika did think that the maids in his class would be suffering trying to serve so many people yet on the contrary, they worked hard just to serve with Raiden keeping them on their feet as they worked hard.

"Ah, it's Orimura-kun!"

"And Hataru-sama! They look so cool."

And things were just going crazy as Ichika was pushed back into the classroom to assist Raiden as the whole classroom now filled up on guests and students attending the café.

"Hey, the butler over there, bring me to my seat!"

A familiar and slightly crude voice caught the Orimura boy's attention. Ichika turned around, and as expected, it's Rin, who was dressed in a Chinese cheongsam, a one piece dress for Chinese women, standing there as well.

"What are you doing?" asked Ichika.

"Never mind that. I want the Butler Special!" said Rin as she blushed a little as her dress was a little revealing on the backside.

Officially when it comes to the Butler Special, the two butlers, Raiden and Ichika, don't have to head to the kitchen when they take the order, as the voice will be passed through the brooch-shaped mic when they repeat the order. "Okay, I'll leave it to you then."

Returning to the bar counter, Ichika took the 'Reward a Butler Set Meal'. The contents of the set meal includes iced tea and Pocky. The customers' smiles are treasures, but even then, Ichika needed to hold back the reluctant feeling to serve the customers as he walked back to the table with Rin waiting there.

As for Raiden, he wasted no time in fulfilling the requests of the ladies as he properly served them tea and fed them some cake with the spoon. Some onlookers and their reactions were a mix of complaints for Raiden not coming to them or they just fawned over the moment Raiden was in, which he found flattering.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, ojou-sama." said Raiden with a bow as he approached another group of girls with the same order.

"Oh but of course." said one of them.

"Then, if you excuse me."

Raiden sat down in front of the girls and proceeded to repeat the same actions. Meanwhile, Rin and Ichika are now facing each other at the two people table. One's dressed in a tuxedo while the other one's in a cheongsam with Ichika mostly embarrassed and shaking a little uncontrollably...what's with this scene?

"So what kind of set meal is this? It seems to be just snacks and drinks."

"...You can feed."

"What?"

"I'm saying, that you can feed the butler with this set."

Rin blinked, and her face immediately went red. When Raiden heard that, he shouted to Ichika,

"YOU IDIOT, An-chan! You are suppose to feed them. That's the purpose of the Butler Special!"

"Wh-Wha-What-What?! But, Anisama I-" Ichika was then met with a fork to his forehead from the blind boy. The cold and hard metal object striking him right in the center.

"No buts, kid! Now feed her already. I've got other Butler Special orders and you haven't even done one of them."

Giving up, Ichika carefully fed Rin a pocky and she grabbed it willingly, like a dog would do to a treat. For some reason, Rin blushed as she ate the pocky. The way she lowered her head like a cute animal was really cute.

"Rin."

"Hm?"

"You're rather cute."

Rin spat out the iced tea in her mouth, and then coughed non-stop. Raiden, seeing this from the other side, looked on in amusement, thinking of Ichika is improving.

"H-Hey, are you alright?" asked Ichika.

"Wh-Wha-What...What do you mean I'm alright?" asked a stuttering Rin in embarrassment.

"Nothing, it's just that the way you ate the Pocky's really cute."

"Cu-Cute...?"

"Yeah, like a squirrel."

A palm smack was later heard from Raiden as he palm-faced in disappointment, with a dark cloud looming over his head. Now he really wished he could go over and smack Ichika in the head for his denseness. Luckily he wouldn't have to do that.

"Like a squirrel—YOU-YOU IDIOT!" Ichika gets a karate chop on the head, sending him rolling back on his back.

Raiden could only shake his head and continue his role as a butler. Then, out of nowhere, Raiden felt someone wrap around his back. Looking over to his right, he saw Tatenashi with her fan open saying "Gotcha!" in front of their faces. Not to mention that she was dressing in one of the maid outfits as well, shocking Raiden somewhat.

"Well ain't this a surprise?"

"Hmm? Aren't you suppose to do something?" Tatenashi asked as she brought her face closer to Raiden's. Sighing slightly, Raiden gave a kiss to Tatenashi's cheek, earning a Nya~! from the girl and shocking many of the girls who saw this act.

"Good boy."

She kept the fan back in her direction, and folded it back with a snap. The refined movement sounded like a Japanese dance choreographer.

"Do you think you can serve this senpai some tea?" Tatenashi asked in a cute and somewhat seductive voice.

"Aren't you serving the customers?" asking Raiden.

"Nope."

"Then why are you dressed like that...oh well, forget that I asked."

Raiden then saw a ginger-haired woman in a business suit talking to Ichika. She kept giving quick glances to Raiden here and there but Raiden was confused. He could swear he had met her before but he could not recall as his memories were still fuzzy. Raiden was aware from Miri that Phantom Task will be here during the festival but when and how, he does not know the answer to.

Tatenashi took notice of Raiden's gesture and after seeing him eye the woman named Makagami Ayako, she quickly realized who it was though it be wise not to tell Raiden her real identity.

"Hey." asked Raiden. "How much are you hearing from that woman over there?"

"Enough." answered Tatenashi with a serious face. "But be careful. If she is what she is, then we may already have been infiltrated."

Raiden could only give a serious look. If Phantom Task is already here in the school, then it's only a matter of time until they reveal themselves somehow.

* * *

While Ichika was being led away by Cecilia to the music room alongside Laura and Rin, Raiden took a breather outside. Quickly gathering his instincts after a brief moment of relaxation, he looked in and saw that despite the packed café, everything was going along smoothly.

Taking a break, Raiden settles himself down on a private table in the back of the kitchen. He is then served hot green tea by someone also in a maid outfit.

"Are you tired?" asked Charlotte as she served the tea.

"Very." Raiden takes a calm sip. "I never thought being a butler would be this exhausting."

Charlotte could only smile as her crush was sipping his tea. To her, she felt at ease and happy seeing him give his best and watching himself. Now she at least gets to spend time with him while both of them are off of work for now.

"Hmm? What's the matter?" asked Raiden when he noticed Charlotte stare at him for some time.

"Oh, uh, it's nothing." Charlotte quickly covered up with a blush at the end. Unconsciously, an idea came to her head as she proposed,

"Here, let me massage your shoulders. They're a bit stiff."

Raiden didn't complain. He had been working all day since this morning, from filling out paper work in the Student Council Room to preparing the butler outfit rented to him from his classmates. Yet he had a lot on mind, especially with the looming threat over the horizon. Charlotte got behind Raiden and, while stuttering a little at first, she began to massage the shoulders of her crush which worked in reality. She knew that Ichika was better at massages and she had no idea how to even do one. But so long as they brought relaxation to Raiden's shoulders, that was all it mattered.

"Sorry about this." said Raiden.

Charlotte didn't even question, knowing the stress he had lately. "It's nothing. You've been working all day, Raiden. You need a break every so often."

"I think so too, but…"

That ticked off Charlotte a little. In an annoyed and stubborn voice, she said "It's not enough to just think about it!"

With that, she grips and presses her hands firmly into Raiden's shoulders. The blind boy winces in pain at Charlotte's response and hunches a little. Charlotte then giggled at his amusement before Raiden turned to see her face to face before he left off a laughter too. She then continued massaging Raiden's shoulders, much to her delight.

After their break, Raiden and Ichika resume their work but that is going to change when Tatenashi calls him and Ichika over to the locker rooms for something.

* * *

"Ichika-kun, are you done yet?" asked Tatenashi.

No response.

"I'm opening the door."

"DON'T SAY THAT AFTER YOU OPENED THE DOOR!"

"What, aren't you all dressed up already? Onee-san's really disappointed."

"...What?"

Right now, Ichika was dressed in a blue prince outfit that resembled something like that of the British Royal Family. In all honesty though, he wondered why he would wear such an outfit in the first place. He looked as Tatenashi went around the backside to check on Raiden and his outfit. And to his surprise, she looked like she saw a climax of a movie as Raiden emerged out.

Raiden was wearing a dark, gray leather clothing with two large black straps around his chest. He wears black pants along with a black men's skirt, coupled with black boots. Finally, to top it all off, he wears a black cape adorned with a wolf's pelt that covers much of his upper back and shoulders. On his left hip, he carries a sword that is your typical longsword but adorned on its hilt a wolf's head with red eyes. ( **For reference, look up on Google Jon Snow outfit** )

"So, how do I look?" asked Raiden, even though the weight of the large wolf pelt was kind of overbearing on his shoulders. Tatenashi came over and swooned over to Raiden, loving the outfit that she picked out for him and the game she had planned.

"Here, boys, your crowns." Tatenashi said as she gave Ichika a typical golden crown of ten points while Raiden's was a silver crown and also had ten points but looked more slim and more akin to winter.

"Why, you don't look too happy, Ichika-kun. Do you want to act as Cinderella?"

"NO!" cried the poor boy with Raiden shaking his head in pity for him.

"Then it's time to act." said Tatenashi as she turned a corner before mysteriously disappearing.

* * *

Both boys then appeared on stage but far away from one another. The set was divided into two. Ichika's set consisted of a typical white castle set on a green hill with cliffs and all that looked so realistic. The paths were made of pure concrete, easy to navigate around the area. Raiden's was a stoned castle that was much larger than Ichika's typical white fantasy one. His area, instead of green hills, was nothing but snow, with even snowflakes falling from the ceiling somehow. Raiden looked at its front and his castle had a name: Winterfell.

"A long time ago, in a certain land, there was a girl named Cinderella." said Tatenashi over the speaker as she was apparently reciting the role as narrator. "There stood the castle in the north, Winterfell, ruled over by Prince Eddard Stark, and the other to the south called King's Landing ruled by Prince Charming."

Thinking about this, Ichika headed towards the stage as did Raiden. With the snow falling somewhat heavily on him, Raiden could only think of three words in his mind.

 _Winter has come._

"Having snuck out of many parties, he has defeated many enemies no matter how much dust he got. The title most suited for him...is 'Cinderella! Tonight, the bloodthirsty Cinderellas will again take action. The girls will aim for the neighboring country's military secrets that are hidden in the prince's crown, and they shall dance on this death arena called the stage!"

"WAI, WHAT!?" Ichika cried out right before.

"GOT YOU!"

With a sudden cry, Rin appeared in a silvery white Cinderella dress.

"WAH?" asked Ichika as he also saw Rin with deadly weapons in her hands.

"HAND IT OVER!"

Rin glared at him, who dodged in reflex, and threw the Chinese flying dagger…which missed.

"Y-YO-YOU IDIOT!"

"WHAT WOULD HA-HAPPEN IF I DIED!?" asked a frightened Ichika.

"I'LL KILL YOU IN A WAY THAT YOU WON'T DIE!"

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS AT ALL!"

No, how can he die here?! If there was one thing this prince feared, it was death itself. Ichika flipped the teaset on the table and used the tray to block the flying knife.

Rin kicked away the tray that had the flying dart on it before she moved on to kick Ichika with the heel of the shoe!

"YOU'RE WEARING GLASS SHOES, RIGHT!?" asked Ichika in a sheepish way.

"NO PROBLEM! IT SHOULD BE HARDENED GLASS!" cried the Chinese girl.

Just when Rin and Ichika were fighting, Raiden, from his position in Winterfell, saw a red light moving.

 _What's that? Why does it feel like it's moving towards Ichika? Moreover, who would be the princess to have a sniper rifle like that?_

At the next moment, a shot was fired and a bullet zipped past Ichika's face as he got hit.

"WAH!?"

 _I knew it. Still sharp as ever, little Cecil._ Raiden thought with a smile as he looked at Cecilia lying down with the sniper rifle in her hands, her eye on the scope as she looks for her target.

As it seemed that she put the silencer on, Ichika couldn't hear the gunshot or see the muzzle flash from the triggered rifle. It seems that she's using some powerful rapid-fire skill as she again snipes at his head.

"I-I-I'LL DIE! I'LL DEFINITELY DIE!"

Ichika kept his body down to cover himself...whose act is it now!?

* * *

Meanwhile, over in Winterfell, the cold snow was still pouring down. It looked as if the storm had truly rolled in this time as Raiden rubbed his hands together. While the wolf pelt made him warm somewhat, it wasn't enough. He never liked cold weather but he was use to it as he had been to places like Siberia before, many years ago.

Raiden could then hear Tatenashi speak over the megaphone again. It seemed as if she was continuing the narration but this time on Raiden's side.

"But in the cold north of the world, there laid a grave threat to Winterfell and to Prince Eddard Stark. It was the threat of the White Walkers, monsters bent only on destroying Winterfell. Already, they had captured two of Prince Eddard's beloveds, Sansa and Talisa, who plan to turn them into their own kind."

The storm from the harsh storm finally ceased and spread forth to reveal the so-called White Walkers, which were nothing more than six autonomous skeleton-like robots taller than the average human with long wispy white hair and white beards. With a color on their bodies pale grey-white and also looked wrinkly but also looking gaunt, sinewy, and mummified, Raiden had a small feeling that these 'White Walkers' were not just there for target practice. Three of them carried ice spears while two more carried swords; all of them looking like they were made of ice.

One of those White Walkers looked different than the others. He had no hair or beard like the others yet his head looked distinctive, as if there were small spikes protruding to make it look like he was wearing a crown, a mockery of sorts. He wore armor from head to toe and carried what looked like a heavy two-handed sword on his back. ( **For reference, see the Night King from** _ **Game of Thrones**_ )

Standing behind those White Walkers were Houki and Charlotte, adorned in beautiful wedding dresses. Houki's was a typical white long kimono with pink sakura flowers decorating the dress, coupled with white gloves. Charlotte's dress was something out of the ordinary; it was a white dress with a small wolf pelt on her shoulders, much like Raiden's, except it was white. ( **For reference, see Sansa Stark's wedding dress to Ramsay Bolton in** _ **Game of Thrones**_ ).

"There is only one thing standing between our fellow prince and his two beloveds. He must get through a horde of wights and reach the White Walkers and challenge their Night King, or else the ice that currently encases the feet of the two lovers covers them up completely."

When Tatenashi said those words, Houki and Charlotte started to feel their feet get cold. They also realized that they couldn't move and when they looked down, they saw ice encasing them up.

"Uwah?! W-W-W-What is this?!" asked Charlotte as she tried to break free. Oh, how she wished she had her IS with her but had to take it off to put on the dress.

Houki tried to break free but her feet were permanently stuck. She had wondered if this ice was real but as soon as that thought crossed her mind, fear struck her. She then saw Raiden on the other side, looking in dread.

 _Raiden, if you can see our situation, please hurry!_

Raiden was shocked. He didn't think Tatenashi would go this far for a play. Besides, when was Cinderella ever rescued by the prince? That is Sleeping Beauty for crying out loud! Then again, Raiden never read either of them as his Mentor kept him away from such disillusioned tales that had nothing to do with reality.

Raiden drew out his sword, which was in reality a real sword made of real steel if not containing bits of IS tech hardware into them which would make it possible for the sword to cut through metal.

Raiden looked and saw a multitude of these "wights", which were nothing more than small IS drone robots about the size of your average young teenager. Like the White Walkers, they were skeletal but their bodies were more of a black color than white and they carried weapons that ranged from swords, axes, scythes, maces, shields, spears, and more. The armor they wore was mostly leather but some of them possessed chainmail and other armor accessories. In reality, it looked like a medieval army but without any flesh and instead of bones, it would be hard forged metal, probably iron.

Raiden took a good look before a smile on his face was formed. A camera catches that and Tatanashi was amused while the rest of the audience were merely curious. Then, with the horde of wights approaching him, Raiden gives a war cry and charges straight into the heart of the enemy.

* * *

Ichika was pinned down. He had no weapon to defend himself and could only remain behind a rock to take cover from Cecilia's sniping. He could not stay forever however as he knew that the other girls could pick up where Cecilia is shooting and would come to his location. Ichika took a peek out of his cover to see that the shooting had stopped.

Several seconds later, Ichika had to show himself after Cecilia started sniping him. On a side note, as the protagonist, he can only dodge around, so every time he returned to the stage, the crowd audience would applaud him and cheer for him. When he looked over to Raiden, he was on the stage 24/7 hacking away at the enemy to get to Houki and Charlotte who were captured.

Ichika bowed politely to the crowd in appreciation as they cheered for him, but Cecilia didn't let this chance go as she sniped him. He immediately ran away onto the stage that's ridiculously wide…So that Cecilia's sniping was to lure him here as a trap because he had no room to go for cover.

Tatenashi then spoke over the megaphone,

"To the prince, the country's everything. If he loses the important secrets in the crown, the thought of guilt will turn into an electric shock."

"WHAT!?" cried the poor boy. Ichika was stunned, but his hand was already reaching for his head subconsciously and took the crown off.

*BAK BAK BAK!* An unexpected sound resounded, and the electricity flowed through his body. The current passed through, and it felt really hot.

"Th-Thi-This..."

Ichika's clothes were burned and tattered, even giving off smoke.

"What the hell is this!?"

"Oh my, what's going on? Does the prince worry about his country that much? But we can only look at him. What's going on?"

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO REPEAT THAT TWICE!"

Anyway, Ichika couldn't take a second electric shock, and thus quickly put the crown back on. Speaking of which...things just got really bad. Tatenashi really looked excited from up above in her booth. What was he supposed to do now?

However, the brown-haired and silver-haired Cinderellas appeared in front of me.

"Hold it right there, Ichika!" cried Rin.

"I'll take the crown!" said Laura, armed with two deadly daggers in each hand.

At the last minute, Ichika barely managed to dodge their attacks from the side and rolled on the floor.

"DON'T GET IN MY WAY, LAURA!" cried Rin.

"I should be the one saying that, right? Seems like I have to eliminate you first!"

"Interesting...BRING IT ON!"

Both of them started fighting for some familiar reason to the reader. Now, Ichika just has to contend with that sniper from the tower. Suddenly, a shaking occurred on their feet and nearly threw them off-balance.

"Now, everyone present can take part in this! Everyone, please work hard for the prince's crown!"

"WHAAATT!?"

The real reason for the earthquake was that more than ten Cinderellas came rushing over, and the numbers continued to increase. Ichika felt like he saw this in a movie before, except replace the monsters with Cinderella-monsters.

"ORIMURA-KUN, SURRENDER QUIETLY!"

"WALK WITH ME TO HAPPINESS! OUJI-SAMA!"

"HAND...IT OVVVEEERRR!"

Ichika continued to think of how to get away from the Cinderellas who were rushing to him as he continued to run through the stage sets.

"I FOUND YOU, ICHIKA!" said Rin as she appeared out of nowhere. "HAND ME THAT CROWN! IF THAT...that happens..."

"So-So what will happen?"

"UU! ANYWAY, JUST HAND IT OVER TO ME! I'LL SLICE YOU IF YOU REFUSE!"

"WHAT KIND OF WORDS ARE THOSE!? THAT'S REALLY SCARY! SOMEBODY SAVE ME!"

Ichika's suddenly foot got grabbed and he rolled and fell below the stage sets.

* * *

Raiden had been battling non-stop against these wights. It was exhaustive and grueling as their numbers had seemed endless. That saying of cut off one head of a hydra and two more shall take its place seemed to have cement the situation he was in. He was surrounded on all sides yet he surprisingly managed to hold his ground with his sword.

Raiden slices the leg off of one Wight before he spins around and decapitates the heads of three others. He blocks another strike from a wight before he kicks it back with his foot. Grabbing one of the corpses of the wights, he flings it back to a group, destroying them in the process. Turning his sword backwards, he back-stabs an incoming wight before turning the sword around and himself to cut another charging at him.

A huge wight was coming up from behind Raiden but, gathering his instincts together, he blocked the sword strike from the wight before he managed to stab it and throw it out of the way against another group, the dead wight leaving his sword in the process.

Raiden knew that at this moment, he was wasting time. The ice from Charlotte and Houki was beginning to creep up to their chest area and the longer he was fighting off the wights, the more the ice will creep up to cover them. When he saw their situation, he felt a slight hint of anxiety course through him, fearing that he may not make it in time.

His fighting with the wights was getting hopeless and to make things worse, the snowstorm came back and obscured Raiden's view of his surroundings. He now couldn't see even two feet in front of him. Tatenashi then spoke over the megaphone.

"Arah! It seems as if the snowstorm has come in and now our Prince Eddard Stark cannot see the enemy. Now it's a fight of attrition, wondering when the next wight will strike…or perhaps even one of those White Walkers."

Raiden could barely make an image of the White Walkers, still standing at the ledge with Houki and Charlotte behind them as the ice was slowly working its way up. Raiden was running out of time. While his mind gave into fear for a brief moment, he saw a chance.

Seeing a mound that was high enough for him to jump to get to the White Walkers, Raiden charged forth, slaughtering however many wights there were left until they were of no more. Once Raiden got to the dirt mound, he pushed himself high off the ground and forward, almost as if he was jumping away from an explosion. It looked like there was a slim chance for Raiden to make it as it looked like he might not make it.

Raiden, however, manages to grab onto the ledge with his left hand while his other right hand held onto his sword. Using much of his strength to pull up, Raiden manages to get both of his arms on the edge before he saw a foot in front of him. When he looked up, the sight of what he had seen sent shivers down his spine.

A White Walker with a spear in his right hand stood before it grabbed Raiden by the shoulders, lifted him up, and tossed him back, sending him sliding across the ice and right after he stopped, he saw a view in which the White Walkers were apparently on another ledge. The one Raiden jumped to was an illusion created by the snowstorm that made him think they and the two girls were on that ledge he was on now.

Cursing to himself, Raiden also had another problem. When he was thrown, his sword left his hand and now he was armless, with only a dagger to compensate for that. His cape and wolf pelt were also ripped apart, leaving only his leather armor on as the cold started to settle into areas previously warm by the pelt. The White Walker slowly approached Raiden and swing at him with his spear, which made the blind boy duck, before the spear came thrusting to him. Raiden blocks it and tries to slice at the White Walker, but he misses.

The White Walker grabs him again and tosses him, almost as if Raiden was being played around like a rag doll. Houki and Charlotte watched with dread, not only with the ice now at their necks and soon their chins, but also that without his sword, Raiden was fighting a losing battle with the machine. Whoever created these machines made the girls curse at the creator, not knowing that it was courtesy of Tabane along with some help from the IS Academy students.

Gripping his dagger again, Raiden tries to make the cut on the White Walker again before his hand is grabbed and he is spun around. Raiden counter spins to attack but when his dagger made contact with the ice spear, it shattered instantly.

Raiden was left shock. How in the world can something like a dagger shatter against a spear made of ice? It didn't make any sense. Now Raiden was completely armless, with no other weapons to back him up and his sword still missing.

Still left shock, the brunt of the White Walker's spear hit Raiden, sending him backwards against the ground. Raiden was left dazed and once he turned to his right, he saw his sword lying on the ground. Raiden immediately went to retrieve it as the White Walker went after him. Raiden retrieves and picks up his weapon and blocks an incoming strike from the White Walker.

CLANG!

To the surprise of both Raiden and the White Walker, the sword managed to block the White Walker's spear without shattering unlike his dagger. Raiden now had a weapon to defeat the enemy, one he had been using most of the time.

The White Walker tries to attack again by swinging to the right but Raiden deflects his incoming strike which left it wide open. Raiden then gave a good slice to the White Walker, cutting through it like butter and falling backwards. Raiden, exhausted, collapses to his knees and arms.

Up above, the Night King noticed this and sent the remaining four White Walkers down. Once the four were down there, they approached Raiden but the blind boy, quick as ever, cut off the legs of one White Walker, standing up in the process, before disarming another and slicing it diagonally. Raiden was then grabbed from behind by a third White Walker before he turned his sword against the it, stabbing it backwards before it fell back, loosening its grip.

The last White Walker charged in with its sword and Raiden managed to block its incoming strike before he gave a slash to the knee before coming around and cutting the back, killing it instantly.

Suddenly, the platform rose up and Raiden came face to face with the Night King. With a large broadsword sheathed on its back and armed with a spear and shield, Raiden kind of trembled with fear but he also saw that Houki and Charlotte were nearly covered in ice. The ice had reached up to their heads, leaving only their face exposed.

"Raiden, i-if-if you don't mind…" said Charlotte stuttering as she was getting colder and colder. "Can you please hurry up?"

"Yes, please do." urged Houki. "I can't stand the cold anymore."

Raiden gave a light chuckle and responded "Don't worry. This will be over in a jiffy."

From his feet popped up a shield and spear as Raiden picked them up and armed himself against the Night King.

"Now the real battle between the Prince of Winterfell and the King of the White Walkers begins. Who will emerge victorious?" asked Tatenashi over the megaphone.

The Night King charges forward and tries to spear Raiden, which he dodges, before the Night King attacks with his shield as Raiden blocks it with his. Raiden then charges forward after the Night King comes around and tries to jump stab, but the Night King blocks it with ease although he stumbles back a little. Raiden tries to stab the feet head on, but the Night King blocks it, and soon the pair traded blows with their spears for a while.

Arming his spear behind his neck, Raiden tries to stab before he swings it around for a side strike. The Night King tries to stab Raiden, but with his shield, he holds it against him before the Night King uses his shield to knock the tip of the spear off of Raiden's. The pair bash their shields against each other before Raiden is pushed back.

Tossing away the broken spear, Raiden uses his shield to block the Night King's oncoming strikes before he manages to trap it and snap it in two with his right foot. Raiden then takes out his sword and tries to slice the neck of the Night King but the robot dodges it before taking out his broadsword and trading pairing blows with Raiden.

Both the Night King and Raiden, with swords drawn and shield held high, traded powerful and deadly blows and it seemed as if Tatenashi and her build team made the Night King to be about Raiden's equal, if he ever had one in the real world concerning the IS. From stabbing to slicing, the two combatants hardly landed a hit on one another. This could be a battle that would drag on and time was running out as the ice for both Houki and Charlotte had only their mouths left to cover. This fight was already proving to be a costly one at best.

Raiden was exhausted. He spent a lot of energy and time fighting wights and White Walkers. Now he had to deal with this Night King that was proving to be a real challenge. And cheating was not the option here as he was not allowed to use his IS at all. Of course, Raiden was no cheater and he'd never resort to that cowardly tactic. He wondered if Ichika would resort to the same but only to save his own skin.

Raiden manages to land a mark on the Night King's armor through a series of repeated slashes that made a cut. It wasn't enough, however, to fully damage the Night King as the slash made only a scratch. Raiden charges forward, only for his arm to get stuck by the Night King's shield before it lifts it up with that same arm. The Night King tries to stab Raiden, to which he blocks, before he is kicked back by the robot and sent tumbling backwards, losing the shield to the ledge of the cliff. The Night King, intent on finishing this fight, tosses away his shield and grips his two-handed broadsword.

Raiden and the Night King engage in a final duel to the death as sword clashes were traded. The Night King manages to cut Raiden on the thigh, temporarily stunning him before Raiden attacks with renewed vigor. The final strike came after Raiden was hit by the pommel of the Night King's sword, making him turn around in pain before counter-spinning to avoid a slash and stabbing the Night King through the heart. The wounded king stares into Raiden's eyes for a few moments before its lights go out and falls backwards after Raiden removes his sword. Wasting no time at all, Raiden races over to two damsels in distress.

Raiden makes it to Houki and Charlotte where the ice just in time manages to cover them both up but Raiden makes the cut on the girls' prisons, freeing them as the ice shatters. Dropping his sword, Raiden catches them both and the girls look up to see their savior, hugging him in the process.

"I told you this would be over in a jiffy." said Raiden with a smile.

"I think it was worth it." said Charlotte.

"That wasn't a jiffy at all! Couldn't you have made it faster?" complained Houki.

All three of them chuckled before Raiden helped them to their feet. Then, another shaking happened before something unexpected had occurred.

Raiden then fell through a hole that opened right under his feet. In a flash, he was gone. Both of the girls shouted his name when he fell and would've pursued him had the door to the floor not seal itself.

* * *

Ichika was led out from the stage and into the changing room. It was dark, the lights were off and Ichika could hardly see. He wondered where Raiden was at given that he got dragged in as well when he fell down in that hole from his side of the stage right after he rescued Houki and Charlotte from the ice.

"Hello? Hello? Anisama?" cried Ichika but there was no answer. This was already starting to look sketchy and scary as well. Ichika was all alone and there was no one around him except lockers.

DRIP, DRIP

Ichika then heard a faint yet audible sound. It sounded like water being dripped from a faucet and onto the floor. And with every moment that passed by, those sounds grew louder and louder. Ichika's only option to get out of the dark was to find the source of that drip. By the time Ichika found the source as he got closer, he saw an obscure image that he could hardly make of it, which made him turn on a light from his IS and shine it in that area.

And what Ichika saw before him was Raiden, lifeless and hanging inches off the ground, with a spear of sorts sticking right through him and blood pouring out. His body faced Ichika's as his head hung low as did his arms and legs. And from behind the lifeless corpse of his friend…

Was the woman from earlier, Ayako Makagami.


	19. Chapter 18: Descent into Darkness

**CHAPTER 18**

Ayako tosses the body of Raiden aside as it goes through the lockers and crashes into a wall, leaving nothing but rubble and a hole in a dark area where no one could see Raiden's body. Ichika was still shocked to once again see his foster older brother stabbed in the back and casually thrown aside. Anger seeped through him, anger to think that he was now dead thanks to the woman he had met earlier.

"What-What have you done?!" He asked angrily.

"Merely got rid of an obstacle, and just tying up a personal loose end." said Ayako with a smile. "You see, Orimura I want to use this chance to get Byakushiki."

"Wh-What?" Ichika asked in confusion, although it left him immediately as the anger from him rose up again. Ayako was still smiling, and she hasn't changed her expression at all.

"Alright, hand it over, brat."

"Never." said Ichika.

"Why would I joke around with you, brat? You infuriate me."

Though the tone's completely different, she's still smiling at him. Ichika couldn't respond to her sudden change in attitude, and his abdomen suddenly got kicked. The hard impact smashed him into the cupboard.

"Ah-ahh, you bastard! The face can't change back. My face."

"Hoo, hoo! Wh-Who are you..."

"Ahh? Me? I'm a mysterious beauty who disguised as a company worker. Well, are you happy now?"

She again stepped on his legs. The pain that came clearly told him that 'She's the enemy'. Why is he still an idiot who loves peace now?

"Ku...Byakushiki!" As the situation was bad, Ichika summoned his IS. He used up a lot more energy than usual as it was an emergency summoning that splits the clothes up, but there's no time to mind about the technical details, because she's an enemy with an unknown identity.

"I was waiting for you to summon it."

Makigami finally lost her smile. The long narrow eyes of this woman in front of Ichika seemed to be distorted because of the evil presence. She is like a snake every time she stretched her long tongue out.

"Because it's finally time for this to come up!"

A sharp 'claw' appeared from behind the woman, ripping the suit in the process. The spider legs like thing had ominous matching colors of yellow and black, each having a blade-like tip.

"Take this!"

The 8-legged armor deployed the tips of the legs, revealing cannons.

"Damn it!"

Ichika tried his best to burst the thrusters on his legs at the floor, exerting the maximum output. He used the reaction force of the PIC to do an emergency dodge.

"Oh, not bad."

Before knocking into the ceiling, Ichika activated the Setsura of Byakushiki. It'll be faster to attack with the internal weapon Setsura than Yukihira Niigata.

"Who are you?"

Flying backwards to dodge, the woman dodged the beam claw, and continued,

"Ah? Don't you know? I'm a member of an evil organization!"

"Stop messing—"

"I'm not messing around, damned brat! I'm a member of the secret organization **Phantom Task**. You must call me Autumn, understand?"

This woman—Autumn completely deployed her IS, and her delicate control of her PIC dodged his attacks and shot live rounds at him.

"Eat this!"

Taking the concentrated fire of the eight cannons, Ichika jumped up and dodged the cannons that were coming in from left and right. At the same time, Ichika wielded the Yukihira Niigata in his right hand and swung it down.

"You're too naive!"

Autumn's eight armored legs grabbed the blade of the Yukihira Niigata completely. The blade was held on tight. No matter how much Ichika tried, he still couldn't budge. At this moment, a machine gun formed in Autumn's hand, and she shot at Ichika.

A few shots pierced through the armor, and the tremendous impact spread to his body. While Ichika has the protection of Absolute Defense, the pain didn't disappear just like that.

"It'll be bad if this keeps up!" Ichika said to himself. Thinking about this, he puts his weapon down for the time being, shot the thrusters on the wings backwards and flipped backwards, dodging the bullet.

Ichika kicked the enemy's gun, and then grabbed the Yukihira Niigata back from the enemy's armor.

"Hahaha! Not bad, kid! You can actually pull some moves in front of this Arachne, unlike your friend whom I gleefully stabbed in the back."

"Shut up!" Ichika roared as he was reminded of seeing Raiden's dead corpse.

There are a lot of obstacles in the changing room, but Ichika used the delicate skills he learned from Tatenashi to dodge the attacks and close in on the enemy. Learning these skills really helped him a lot.

"UWWOOH!"

"Ha! That was close, close, close, close...wow!"

Ichika started to lose grasp on Autumn's movements, and he doesn't know how many times he was attacked. It seemed that each armored leg that extend from the back could deploy PIC, and the Arachne's mobility was more nimble and complicated than any IS he had ever seen. The movement was just like that of a spider.

Ichika used the surroundings to control his flight, dodged the bullets that were raining down on him, and waited for the chance to attack with the Ignition Boost at the ready.

"Oh yeah. Let me say this as well. We're the organization that kidnapped you during the second IS Mondo Grosso! This reunion sure is touching!"

"What?!"

"Not only that, but we were also the ones that took Raiden in and gave him those scars on his eyes. He was once a valuable tool to us but is now nothing more than a piece of trash to dispose of."

Her words really enraged Ichika despite his brief shock. Fury coursed through him as he gripped his blade tight. He then cried,

"I'll pay you back for those times!"

Autumn could only laugh at his remark. "You're still just a brat, using a frontal assault like that!"

Ichika noticed that she shot some rope-like things from her fingers at him. The energy lump expanded in front of him, forming a huge web. If this is energy, he could use his sword to slash it. But even though he intended to, the web extended all over him, and several seconds later, held him down.

"Hahaha! That was effortless! That's what happens when you underestimate a spider's web!"

Showing a cold smile, Autumn approached him, who's struggling, and took out a 4-legged equipment.

"Hm, well, it's party time!"

With the sound of activation, the four-legged thing that was about 40cm wide expanded.

"Are you going to say goodbye?" Autumn asked with a sadistic laugh.

"Wha...?"

The enemy put the equipment on him. The four legs touched his chest and shrank as it stuck onto his body.

"To your IS, of course."

"WHAT?"

At this moment, energy that felt like electricity ran through Ichika's body.

"GYAAAAAAHHHHH!"

A sharp pain that felt like it was going to rip through his entire body attacked him. While in tremendous pain, the fact that Autumn was mocking him with her smile angered him all the more. Unexpectedly, he could still remain focused even under such pain. That was really unbelievable.

"Then, playtime's over."

The electricity vanished, and the lock disappeared.

"Unbelievable. Just give up your IS already, little kid. Now I got to do this the hard way."

Autumn reached out with her hand with an evil smile lurking across her face. However, as soon as she said those words, something from the side violently hit her face, stunning her and throwing her slightly off balance.

She looked over to her left and saw from the hole she made when she tossed Raiden that it was filled with a red/black energy cloud that permeated from the area. Confusion was in Autumn's mind as she tried to look closer, wanting to confirm if she really did kill Raiden.

However, the energy then shot forth from its area and the cloud tendrils grabbed Autumn by the eight legs, somewhat crushing them. Autumn was stunned in shock to see this new thing before she was lifted and thrown out to the side, making her crash into a set of lockers.

She looked up and saw the energy cloud getting larger and larger before she saw something emerge. Two purple and evil cat-like eyes emerged and Autumn now had fear course in her almost in an instant.

A footstep was heard as the energy cloud slowly revealed the same dark lion as before. It gave a low growl before it emerged entire out of the cloud and a loud roar was then heard. The roar was loud enough for Ichika to look up, fear taking hold of him to see that dark creature once again.

"What the hell is that?" asked a wounded Autumn.

The dark lion's eyes glowed purple as the fiery mascara emerged and locked its sight onto Autumn, who slowly stood up. The animal growled and snarled at Autumn, but this was different. The growl it gave was not like a fresh prey that the predator found but rather reuniting with a predator that had hunted him for so long. When Autumn mentioned Phantom Task's involvement of Raiden's past, it was enough for the dark lion to awaken and take control once again.

And now, this lion, this prey that was once hunted by the spider, has turned into a predator for the spider, its prey.

The lion backed off into the darkness and disappeared. Autumn looked everywhere but in the dark, she was alone. Her scanners were badly damaged from the attack from earlier as her helmet had some scratches on it, enough to make her blind and be a prey.

Out of the shadows, the lion charged forward and crashed into Autumn, pouncing onto her. The lion then grabbed Autumn by the head and slammed her into a wall. The lion then kneed her in the stomach before swiping with his right claw at Autumn's face, removing her helmet and shattering it. Grabbing her neck and choking it, the lion threw Autumn at a wall, making a small crater in it. Coming rapidly towards her, the lion endlessly slashed at Autumn's body, deepening the crater before it broke through.

Autumn fell on her back with her body pinned by the lion. She tries to use her legs to fight back but the lion leaps off and disappears once again into the shadows. Fear strikes into Autumn as she scans endlessly to where the animal is and without her scanners, she had to rely on eyesight alone.

Summoning her machine gun, she holds it in two hands before she hears a clank and fires in its direction. After unloading one clip, she sees that nothing was there to her irritation. She can still hear the low growl of the animal as she kept her weapon close.

Out of nowhere, the lion ambushed Autumn from the right side and the two tumbled through the lockers before Autumn laid flat on her stomach, her weapon out of reach and the lion on top of her. Using its tail, it strangled Autumn's neck before it used its arms to grab the legs of the spider, four limbs in each arm. Then, pulling with all of its might with a roar, the legs were ripped off.

Autumn screamed in pain as she felt the limbs torn off in an instant before she felt herself thrown by the tail into a wall before she spewed out blood from her mouth. She then felt her stomach pierced as she looked to see the lion's claws piercing her stomach, blood coming down its arm from her. Autumn tried to summon her weapon and, screaming in defiance and in pain, unleash rounds onto the lion but the effect was very little.

"What…What are you?!" screamed a fearful Autumn.

Annoyed at this, the lion tossed Autumn again before it used the red/black energy to strike at Autumn and electrify her, making her scream in pain before the force of it pushed her back further and crash into a wall. The lion then took off in its pursuit, disappearing into the darkness and leaving Ichika still hanging captive.

"My god…" said a familiar voice as he turned to see Tatenashi, in her IS Mysterious Lady holding a large spear in her hands.

"Tatenashi?" questioned Ichika before the restraints holding him were cut off by the student council president. Accepting her hand to stand up, he rolled his shoulders a bit to get the blood flowing back.

"C'mon. We have to get to Raiden before it gets worse." said Tatenashi with Ichika nodding in agreement. They just hope they are not too late, especially the student council president concerning of her beloved in a deranged state.

* * *

Tatenashi and Ichika followed the trail of both blood and small black crystals emanating energy from its glow. The destruction they saw along the way was horrific. Walls were torn down, lockers damaged, claw marks and bullets everywhere, and the ever so low growl that became louder as they got closer, along with Autumn's screams.

By the time the duo got to the location, which was the maintenance area for all IS, they saw Autumn trying to crawl to safety before being dragged back and tossed around again. Blood was everywhere as Tatenashi's eyes were widened at the carnage. She knew she had seen the video of the lion before during its fight with Laura last semester but to see it in real life happening right now was a different kettle of fish in of itself.

The lion held Autumn by the throat with its own two claws as it tried to choke the life out of her. Autumn was helpless and she couldn't do anything as she desperately tried to get out of it. But it was hopeless as the creature before her, with such rage radiating out, tightened its grip, squeezing the life out of her.

"Raiden, stop this!" cried Tatenashi with a faint of tears forming from her. The lion, hearing her voice, dropped Autumn to the ground before it stepped back and a flicker of blue came from the eyes. The lion then collapsed to its knees and held its head in its hands as it struggled for control.

"Fight, Raiden…Do not let your mind be consumed by it." said Tatenashi. But the lion struggled as blue and purple eyes flickered in between as its painful roars were heard.

"Tatenashi, what's happening?" asked Ichika.

"His mind is struggling against Lion Heart. His IS is what is keeping him in this state. We have to shut it off before it gets worse."

With that said and against Ichika's protest, Tatenashi charges with her spear and tries to land a hit on the creature, but the lion manages to easily hold back the charging spear with its left claw.

Then, it did something totally unexpected.

" **No.** "

The lion spoke in a dark voice before its eyes turned red like blood and red electricity sparked from the body. A voice that sent chills down Ichika's spine and made him paralyzed at that notion, especially when the air itself seemed to quake at it. Never before had the creature ever spoke but there is a first time for everything.

Pushing Tatenashi back with its claw, the lion folded in and unfolded its wings to unleash an energy shockwave which made the Mysterious Lady back off to a far safe distance. The lion, leaving a heavily wounded Autumn alone, charged forth to Tatenashi and tried to swipe at her.

Tatenashi backs off and flees as right now, engaging it was suicidal. She could hear the metal screeching behind her as the lion gave chase, cutting down anything in its path with its red-tipped claws before she jumped to a balcony. In a flash of mist, she disappears from the balcony before she reappears in another area on the ground. Then, sensing that the lion is about to attack her from behind, she jumps over and with her spear, she tries to stab from above but did not take into account of the lion's tail which wrapped itself around her spear and yanked it out of her arms.

Caught off guard, the lion then springs back forth to Tatenashi and strangles her neck with its right hand. Fear is instantly coursed through her body as she comes face to face with the dark creature.

" **This body…** " said the dark voice of the lion. " **His very soul…is mine.** "

With that said, the lion tosses Tatenashi to a wall before blasting her with the same black/red energy cloud filled with red lightning, sending shocks to her body. She screamed in pain as she was then thrown to the side and onto the ground. Electricity formed around her as parts of her IS became damaged and decorated with small black crystals, mostly on her right shoulder and some on her right thigh. Her shields dropped greatly as she only had about 40% of it left.

" **I will shatter this corrupt world…You shall not stand against me.** "

Tatenashi struggles to stand up as she sees the lion levitate before her as red electricity sparked all over his body and some parts of the room as black crystals began to form from those spots that the lightning touched. She summons her spear at the ready. The lion, with its claws ready, flies toward her until it is intercepted by Ichika, using his Yukihira Nigita to block the animal's claws and then fires a point-blank shot to the face, stunning the creature if not making him a little angry and annoyed.

Tatenashi used her spear and fired a volley of fire back at the dark creature, backing it off. After unloading a round, Ichika charged in but the lion merely grabbed his right hand that had the sword and, using its other left claw, punched Ichika in the gut before using its tail to swipe him back. The sound of it was like a thunder going off in the room, shattering any nearby windows and temporarily disorientating anyone's hearing from the area.

Although Ichika was flung back by the tail, he charged again and, using his Kendo senses, sped past the lion and made a strike on the lion's left wing, severing it completely off.

The creature screamed in agony as the wing was severed, followed by Tatenashi who made a horizontal cut with her whip sword, Rusty Nail, cutting off two spikes from the head of the dark creature.

"It's working. We got him!" exclaimed Ichika.

"Stay focused. This isn't over yet." said Tatenashi as she saw the lion deploy its lascannons from its shoulders. Two red unstable beams fired as they destroyed a good majority of the room they were in.

"Evasive maneuvers!" ordered Tatenashi as she and Ichika took on opposite ends to avoid the beams.

" **You deny the truth and prove your existence is without meaning. You shall be purged. No trace of your suffering shall remain.** "

Forming crystals around it, the lion shatters them into thousands of shards before it sends them off in all directions, tearing the place apart and making Ichika and Tatenashi run for cover. Ichika tries to at least get a shot at the lion with his cannon but a shard from the right scars his face, temporarily leaving him out of commission. Tatenashi tries to get to Ichika after the ricochet died down, however, the lion saw her out in the open and fired from its mouth a beam of pure unstable red energy. Tatenashi uses her water to form a shield for her and Ichika yet struggled to hold it back.

The pressure was just too much though as the beam increased in power, breaking the shield and coming into contact with the two pilots. Ichika was knocked out as Tatenashi was heavily injured, her shields down to 10% and her body extremely tired and exhausted.

She sees the lion, to her utter shock, regrow its missing left wing and forming back its spikes on its head. The left wing first formed as a metal skeleton with blood on it before the familiar metallic feathers grew and the "flesh" of the exoskeleton was reformed. The spikes on the head simply regrew back into their original position before they were cut.

The dark creature prepares to charge at Tatenashi before sparks flew from the back of the creature. Tatenashi looked to see Autumn, further than her original position, just fired the remainder of her machine gun clip in a fit of anger not to save the Student Council President, but rather to kill the lion.

Annoyed and having the bullets had no effect on it, the lion springs forward, grabbing Autumn by the head, threw her up the ceiling floor before charging at her, and making a whole through the roof.

An explosion was heard from the surface as everyone from afar looked and saw Autumn on the ground, beaten and bleeding. The dark creature looked down from the air and saw that its prey was still alive. Before the lion could finish the job however, an unknown anomaly that moved in swiftly and attacked it.

This gave Autumn enough time to get up and flee immediately before the situation further escalated into a cataclysmic disaster. She only had anger coursing through her mind as she retreated to safety. At this point, she didn't care if the mission was a failure. Right now, she needed to stay alive at all costs.

* * *

 _Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!_

Autumn ran through the IS Academy grounds, cursing in her mind. She was heavily injured and almost near death. At least she still had her legs to run on and her IS was still functional.

 _What simple job! What kind of joke was that-that kid!_

Speaking of which, the attack for today's infiltration was meant to be carried out in the dorm room, but as there was suddenly a roommate, they had to modify the plan drastically.

 _Speaking of which, I never liked that kid ever since she joined this organization..._

She remembered the girl who always looked so haughty, thinking that nobody could match her, and that everyone was inferior to her. The girl herself took part in the creation of the Remover and the planning of the infiltration this time.

 _Speaking of which, what sort of remover was that? Wouldn't it be meaningless if it can be summoned from such a far distance anyway?_

And there was no second chance now. Once it was used, the IS would become resistant to it. Autumn then realized that because the IS had created a resistance to being removed, it was able to be summoned from afar. In other words, it was totally predictable, and the girl who raised this plan should have seen the outcome. That's what Autumn thought. And now she never got a chance to use it due to the lion's ambush/

 _I'll kill...kill kill kill! SHE MADE A MOCKERY OUT OF ME!_

Gritting her teeth in anger and regret, she found that she finally reached a park that was far away from IS Academy.

 _Damn it...I'm thirsty. Is there water..._

She looked around, and found a water cooler at the park.

 _Anyway, got to deal with this thirst!_ Autumn quickly walked to it.

 _I'll kill that brat! I don't care what Squall says or if the mission is a failure. We've failed to get him in the end._

With a tap-turning motion, the water spurted up. She went over to ravage the water like a beast and continued to think of how she should kill that girl who just joined in.

 _Slowly, slowly kill her…and him._

Autumn suddenly noticed that there was no water.

 _What's wrong? Is it faulty...?_

Thinking that, she looked at the tap, but something unbelievable happened. The water spurt up wildly, covering the sky.

"What!?"

The water that rained down on Autumn like transparent blocks wet her clothes, but she didn't care about that. Though she immediately tried to back away, her feet that were about to move were stuck because of AIC.

Due to the inertia exerted, Autumn fell backwards.

"Damn it! Is that the German IS!?"

"That's correct, Phantom Task." Laura's voice echoed silently. "Don't move. A sniper is aiming at your forehead."

"Ku...!"

"Spill it out. Everything you know about your organization."

As a soldier, Laura already had received information about this secret organization. Through the infiltration and the fact that they used IS to battle, she understood that it was a really large group.

"Your IS was a second generation one from the US. How did you get it? Speak."

"Who would!"

The IS core technology was never revealed to the outside world. In other words, it could only be taken from somewhere. And because it would be a heavy loss on the national defense side, nobody would reveal that their IS got stolen. From the way they planned the theft of the IS and the capability to do it, this organization wasn't to be underestimated.

"Alright. I have lots of ways to carry out interrogations, so it looks like I need to spend some time with you."

As Laura said that and walked to Autumn, Cecilia said through the private communicator,

"Get away! A unit's approaching!"

"Wha...?"

Immediately after expanding the sensors, Laura's right shoulder got shot through. Laura immediately took off the left eye-patch to activate the Odin's Eye, the hyper sensor device. But it was tough as she had to dodge the next two shots.

"Laura, get away!"

Using the trajectory of the shots, Cecilia was immediately able to tell where the opponent was shooting from, and aimed at the machine that was quickly approaching.

"How did that happen...don't tell me...?"

Appearing in the focus lens that was used to see things far away was a machine Cecilia had seen once before.

Silent Zephyrs. It was a prototype frame that used data from the first frame, Cecilia's Blue Tears, and had BIT protective shields.

"What are you doing? Cecilia, shoot!"

Cecilia immediately used her laser rifle to snipe, but as the enemy deployed the BIT shields, there wasn't any effective damage. She then released her BITs, but they were shot down by the enemy.

 _Sniping down so accurately at supersonic speeds? And even the shooting was fast!_ thought the British girl. Cecilia was mystified that the opponent's ability was better than hers, and the threat caused by the normal BITs of the enemy was far greater than when Cecilia controlled 6 of them at one go, sending her into a tough spot.

"If that's the case!"

Cecilia shot the missile BITs below, intending to let the enemy that was flying to defend before attacking, forcing it into a tight corner. Though Cecilia believed this, something unbelievable happened next.

"Wha...!?"

The curved lines that were drawn out in light took down the missile BITs.

 _This is...a polarized control shot that can only be done when the BT weapon is moving at high velocity? How can there be such—_

The unbelievable scene that happened in front of Cecilia caused her to remain rooted there.

 _Amongst all the IS pilots, my suitability with BT should be the highest. So, why!?_

"What are you doing? Move aside!"

"Wha—!?"

Laura knocked Cecilia away, taking the BIT laser attacks for Cecilia. After seeing the Schwarzer Regen armor dissipate, Cecilia finally recovered, but by then the attacker was already beside Autumn.

"I'm here to get you, Autumn."

"Don't you dare call me like that!"

The attacker that flew over shot a Gatling Laser in a small area at Laura, preventing her from approaching Autumn. At the same time, the attack used a pink laser blade to slice the AIC apart, freeing Autumn.

"Is that all German enhanced genes have to offer?"

That face was covered by a hyper sensor that acted as a cap, and only the lips could be seen. But Laura could clearly see a smirk on her face. The attacker grabbed Autumn and flew back the way she flew in from. The BITs that were holding off Laura and Cecilia immediately self-destructed after the mission.

"Laura, call the school! I'll pursue them!"

"Stop it! It's useless to chase them. And with our abilities, even if we caught up to them, we would lose to them."

"No, I got them in my sights!"

Cecilia prepared aim as she had the two attackers in her line of sight. Until something up close and personal blocked her view; a black lion head with two purple fiery mascara eyes. It roared as it sprang up close to her, causing her to scream out in terror.

"AAAHHHH!"

In an instant, she was immediately swiped from the winged lion's claws, her sniper rifle breaking in two as she was knocked out of the sky and head straight for the ground. Cecilia was dazed for a moment before she managed to regain her sight and saw the lion pouncing onto her from above. Summoning her blade Interceptor, Cecilia manages to hold herself back from being clawed and bitten from the lion but it was no use. She was stuck and she ran out of missiles from her pods.

Cecilia struggled against the intense strength of the lion as it tried to viciously claw at her. Fear took over her as those claws got closer and closer before a single one of them manage to scratch her right cheek. The lion was then taken off of her thanks to Laura, who used her wire-guided daggers to wrap them around the lion and pull him off Cecilia.

Laura dragged the lion around the floor, creating one long trench. Eventually, the lion manage to hold its ground from Laura's force and grab onto the wires. In one swift motion, it pulled Laura back fast enough to claw at her IS and shattering a good chunk of her IS' right side, including her blade on her right arm. Laura was sent back hard into a wall and her cables were cut. The lion tried to pounce on her, only to be met by a volley of shots from the side as Rin rushed in with her Impact Cannons followed by Charlotte with her rifles.

The lion roared in defiance after Rin and Charlotte both stopped firing, only to find itself surrounded on all sides from the gang, including Tatenashi who had her spear pointed forward in her shaky hands. Escape was not an option for this creature as it growled and roared, moving back and forth on all four legs like any cornered predator. Its prey, although armed, were all but shaking in their legs as their breathing became heavy and quick.

"Raiden." Houki cried out into a voice. The lion angrily turned its attention to Houki as she tried to reach out with her voice to her crush. Putting her swords away so as to not look like a threat, she carefully tip-toed over to the feral animal.

"Houki, what-what are you doing?" asked Ichika.

"Houki, get back! You'll get killed!" warned Charlotte. But Houki just kept walking forward to the lion, her fearful eyes locking onto the animal's own. She walked carefully so as to balance herself yet fear gripped her very tightly as the lion's growls became more menacing.

"I know you are in there, Raiden…" Houki began as the tears soon began to form from the corner of her eyes. "This is not you. You would never be like this unless you had a reason. But it's over. The battle is won and the attackers fended off. So please…" Houki was about halfway to the lion, the animal still looking at her with a snarl, ever so growling lowly yet menacingly.

"Please come back!" Houki said as the tears finally ran down her face. She didn't even bother to hold them back as they fell one by one. When the lion caught of this, its face slightly changed as the blue gentle color of the eyes was slowly starting to come back, bringing a small sense of relief for Houki and everyone else.

Houki kept approaching the lion before,

SNAP!

Her foot stepped on something and snapped a branch in two. That was enough for the lion, its eye color reverted back to a fiery purple, to lunge forth at her with great speed as Houki looked just in time to see the lion come charging after her and bringing her down the side of a cliff from the Cinderella play-set. At the same time, the sound of flesh and metal was heard.

"HOUKI!"

Everyone screamed at Houki's name as they found her pounced by the lion a few yards away from her original spot. By the time they got to her, they saw a black figure with a sword of sorts penetrated through. The sounds of pain and blood gurgle echoed into their heads. They then saw what had happened.

Houki was lying on her back, eyes wide opened in fear and in deep shock. The dark lion right on top of her and with a sword penetrated through its chest. It's roar of pain was low yet audible for her to hear and its blood dripped from the sword wound and from its mouth as it trickled onto Houki's face, who remained immobile. Her mind was filled with so many questions just as her shaking hands continued holding onto the grip of her sword.

The gang arrived as did the medical team on Chifuyu's orders. They then removed the lion's carcass off of Houki, her shaking hands still in the position the way which she held her sword before that said sword disappeared from the lion's chest. The dark lion was then covered in the same black/red energy tendril cloud before it revealed Raiden, unconscious and bleeding out. The medics hurried their way to stabilize Raiden while the gang attended to Houki.

"Houki? Houki, are you alright?" asked Ichika.

"Houki, are you okay?" asked Charlotte as she tried to shake her up.

"Houki, can you see me?" asked Tatenashi as she brought her face to Houki's but the latter's eyes were not locking on.

Houki would not respond. Her eyes were still filled with fear and shock and the blood from the lion remained on her face. A million things ran through her mind as did other worldly voices, asking her what she had done. The feelings of her legs gave way as she could not stand upright and the breathing from her chest felt like they were gone.

Then, she fainted instantly as her eyes closed, her body slumped and slipped into a deep unconscious state, and her arms falling to the side lifelessly. Everyone gasped and tried to shake her up but to no avail.

"Houki? Houki!" called out Ichika.

"Get a hold of yourself! Houki!" said Rin.

"Houki, wake up. Houki!" cried Cecilia.

Laura called in the medical team for two stretchers while everyone else tried to wake Houki up.

* * *

It's been five days since the attack on the Academy and there was still a lot of clean up to do. Reconstruction was being taken out by both the students and the workers to repair the locker rooms and maintenance room, which suffered the most damage. Everyone else recovered from the attack and were mostly healed up.

Everyone but one particular individual still in a coma.

Flowers, cards, and even balloons decorated the side of the patient's bed, a gift from the Academy's students to get well. Officially, the school learned that Raiden suffered massive injuries and had to be hospitalized in the infirmary but few only knew the real truth of Raiden's condition.

Houki had been sitting beside Raiden's body for the past two days now. She had recovered from her faint but the memories were still there for her to see. Despite comfort from her friends, she could not shake off what she did unintentionally and struggled to forgive herself. She hadn't eaten anything either and if she did, it was probably just a quick snack along with some water, hardly anything for an IS pilot to re-energize herself with. Guilt tore away at her heart and the sight of seeing the man she loved on the bed, again, only made it more worse. What would Raiden think of her now for what she did? Was he watching her in that moment, knowing that in the deranged state he was in, he would be stabbed fatally? When he would wake up, would he hate her for what she did?

But it couldn't possible, right? He had already forgiven her for her arrogance during the incident of the Silver Gospel and did not blame her for the mission's initial failure. He had told her straight from his own lips that he had feelings for her and most of all, they even kissed. And yet, doubt is surely a normal emotion to feel in times like this.

She reached out and gently held his right hand that was lying on its side on the surface of the bed.

"Raiden…I am so sorry." said Houki as tears began to form and slowly fall. "I…I don't know if you can hear me, but I…I just…want you to wake up." Houki sniffled in between her sobs as her tears increased in volume. "You were always there to look out for me, even if I did not notice it. You always protected me from the danger that could've made me hurt. Maybe even killed. You have fought for so long but always so alone." Houki brought Raiden's cold hand over to her heart.

"So, please…listen to my heartbeat for what I feel for you."

She wasn't so sure if Raiden herd it but she could feel her heart beat against Raiden's hand. She perhaps saw the very slightest twitch of Raiden's hand reacting to it, sensing that he could feel it.

"I don't want you to fight alone anymore. I want to be there for you, wherever you go and whoever you face. I want to help however I can for you. Because I…because…" Houki drifted off at the last part of her sentence. Those three magic words were such a hassle because she definitely did love him but how could she ever bring herself to say that to the man she had impaled with her sword?

It was then that Houki began to sing a lullaby as she held Raiden's hand with hers. She sang gently, like the voice of an angel. ( **AN** : **For reference, look up Sadame from AQUAPLUS on iTunes** )

 _Shizuka ni otozureru ironaki sekai_

 _Subete no toki o tome nemuri ni tsuku_

She could remember from her childhood that whenever she was sick, her mother would sing a song for her to go to sleep. She remembered the lyrics clearly.

And as she sang the lullaby, she couldn't help but feel a squeeze of the hand from Raiden, only slightly though. The night soon settled in and the stars began to shine as Houki drifted into sleep, lying beside her sleeping lion.

* * *

A few hours had passed into the night. But for Raiden, he had woken up and saw the vixen girl sleeping beside him. Recalling everything that had happened from the attack, he saw tears from Houki form and slowly fall, likely suffering from some sort of nightmare. Sitting up, Raiden reached out and wiped the tears gently away from Houki's eye before softly patting her head.

Raiden took in a lot of thought for what Houki did. She had unintentionally stabbed him to free him from his Feral Mode of his IS state and he didn't at all blame her for it, much like the Silver Gospel incident.

But Raiden's mind at the moment did not concern Houki. Gathering himself and his clothing, he proceeded out of the infirmary carefully. It was already late and everyone was most likely asleep. Raiden had to be careful not to make any noise lest he wanted to either wake someone up or trip an alarm, not to mention to stay out of the security cameras.

After a while of walking stealthily through the Academy, Raiden found himself at the destroyed locker room. And boy was it a mess of things. Lockers were destroyed, holes in the wall were made, scrap metal and glass shattered everywhere, and some electronic systems were completely fried. This place was of the utmost priority in getting straightened out right away yet only half of the debris had been cleared and only a small portion of the locker rooms rebuilt.

Raiden walked through to survey the damage. He could not help but feel conflicted. Was this really what he did? Did he have such a power to turn into a monster that just destroys everything in its path? If he did, then just what kind of damage could be a lot worse than this one?

"Shouldn't you be asleep?"

Raiden turned around and saw Chifuyu with a look of indifference, arms crossed and all, yet he knew that something wasn't right. Despite her body language, Raiden could feel that she was not here on a coincidence.

"Why are you here?" asked Raiden.

Chifuyu then said "Don't give me that kind of tone. I know of why **you** are down here."

Raiden remained silent and looked to see the destruction ahead, along with the blood that was now dried up and decorating the halls. Some parts of the room definitely needed to be refurbished and perhaps made of something stronger.

Raiden couldn't help but chuckle a little to himself, catching Chifuyu's eye.

"So this is what I am." Raiden said. "A monster, one that does nothing but just simply destroy everything in its path. And yet, that is what I am meant to be anyway."

Chifuyu did not like where this was going. She knew her little brother to be down at times and logically correct but a nihilist? Raiden was never like that. And Chifuyu knew that hugs and words of comfort would not dispel the tense situation in the air at this moment.

"It's funny what such devastation can do to the mind. And the addition of blood staining the walls only adds to the horror that is reality."

"Do you really believe that?" asked Chifuyu sternly. "Or is that what the voices in your head tell you?"

That caught Raiden's attention. He then responded, "If the facts add up, then it is only logical to assume such an assumption."

"Don't give me that!" said Chifuyu as she raised her voice suddenly, which did not flinch Raiden one bit.

"You were trained by **her** to contain that monster in you. **She** dragged you out of the muck you are now putting yourself into now. If not for her, you would still be held captive by Phantom Task and I…" Chifuyu's voice lowered itself a little as the memories of eight years ago resurfaced her mind. "And I would've lost you. But I never gave up on you, and neither did **she**!"

Raiden was confused. What did Chifuyu meant by she? Was it Houki? But that wouldn't make any bit of sense whatsoever, and the same would apply for Tatenashi and Charlotte. Was it Miri? Well, she was there during Raiden's childhood but she wasn't the one who helped Raiden.

There was only one woman left Raiden could think of. But the thought of it put him into pause and made him shocked. Chifuyu then played her last card.

From her inward pocket, Chifuyu pulled out a photo of a tall, attractive, blue-haired ponytail woman. Her attire consisted of an A-shirt that is white at the piece at the back of her neck to the top of her breasts. She also wore black pants and black boots.

"What…Where did you get that?" asked Raiden in shock.

"I found this in your destroyed locker. You taped it to the back of the door on the inside." Chifuyu put the picture back in her pocket.

Chifuyu then continued with her statement, "I can't believe she, of all people, would take care of you. And now it is thanks to her that you have become like this and I have to watch over you, just like how I did with her back then."

"Is that what is has come to now, Aneue?" Raiden asked in a somewhat menacing tone. "Are you actually trying to systematically disrupt every part of my life?"

"No. I am trying to learn about every part of your life." Chifuyu said with an emphasis on the 'learn.' "I still have eight years' worth of trying to figure out what has happened to you."

"Oh, right. How is that going for you so far?" Raiden asked sarcastically.

"Quite illuminating, actually." Chifuyu said. "I at least understand now why you just happen to break a few rules here or there. I understand why you are working with the CIA. But what I do not understand is—"

"Is my childhood combined that with eight years of being gone, yes." Raiden interrupted. "It's very simple, really. I was held captive for two years before being found by Akane and she had taken care of me for six years."

Chifuyu then asked another question, "Then why are you trying to be like her?"

Raiden simply answered "Because I owe her a debt that I could not repay in time thanks to her passing. She showed me a path that I could walk on whereas you were just simply here and there and gone."

"That's not true. That's what Akane wanted you to think."

That made Raiden shocked again as he felt like his face became pale at that statement of Chifuyu's. But it honestly felt more like an insult rather than an opinion.

"Are you so consumed by your lust of revenge that you cannot just simply let it go?"

That was a little too far for comfort. In a voice of anger and of a somewhat change of his voice, Raiden approached Chifuyu, his eyes giving off a familiar mascara.

"Careful, Aneue."

"Why?" asked an emotionless Chifuyu. "Because you think I can just let you roam around in your deranged state and just kill everything in your way? Did Akane really teach you how to just simply fight with your fists and cause havoc wherever you roam? You are no different than her when-"

SLAP!

A stinging sound was heard as it echoed across the room. Chifuyu had her head turned to the right, her face utterly shocked. She felt with her fingers blood on her face. One of Raiden's fingers during the slap must've had a claw on it. She slowly turns her face to see the lion growling a little in a threatening tone.

"Don't you ever say that again." Raiden had said. "You have no idea what she has done for me…unlike you."

Raiden then left the room and departed into the unknown darkness. Chifuyu looked in a shattered mirror and saw her face scratched with blood leaking out. She then looked at her hand with her own blood and she was quiet…long before the sound of tears came to her hearing. Her own tears as they fell down the floor.

Unknown to both Raiden and Chifuyu, a familiar blue-haired girl was looking from the door and couldn't help but cry as well.

* * *

"YOU BASTARD! WHAT WERE YOU DOING!?"

In a room of a high-rise condominium filled with luxurious furniture, Autumn closed in on the girl as she grabbed her by the collar. Despite the former's injuries and of the many bandages covering her, she still had enough strength to even stand on her own two feet.

But the other girl merely said nothing and stayed silent, keeping that prideful smirk of hers, indicating that she is enjoying Autumn's humiliation.

"SAY SOMETHING! YOU DAMN KID!"

Autumn pushed the girl into the wall. Even so, her anger didn't subside, and she then pulled out a knife and pressed it against the girl's face.

"I'm going to scar that face of yours!"

"Enough, Autumn. You're too noisy."

A woman with a beautiful face walked out from the bathroom with a robe, and the light blond hair radiated under the light.

"Squall!"

"You'll get old if you always get angry. Calm yourself, Autumn."

The woman called Squall was dressed in a bathrobe as she sat down on the sofa, crossing her legs in the process and relaxing back.

"I take it you found him?" asked the relaxing woman.

Autumn glared at Squall with regret. "You...knew that this would happen?"

"Of course. This is my pet that we are dealing with here. It was the only reason I sent you two on that mission: to locate and confirm if he is there. Stealing Byakushiki's core was just orders from our superiors. And from what I can tell, my pet certainly left quite a message for me based on your bandages. You shouldn't have taunt him like that."

It was true. Autumn had sustained multiple injuries from the lion's claws, along with some broken ribs and cracked skull.

"If that's the case, why didn't you tell me! I...I'm-I'm your—"

"I know, Autumn, I know. You're my important lover. And I need you alive. However, I also need him alive as well, because I intend to finish what I began…eight years ago."

"Good-Good that you know..."

Autumn's anger up until now got wiped off by the smile on Squall's face, and she blushed as she looked down. She looked like a girl who just met her first love. Seeing her cute look, Squall again smiled happily.

"Come over, Autumn. I'll wash your hair for you. You must be very tired today after finding my pet, right?"

"Ah, ahh..."

The other girl looked uninterested as she stared at their interaction. As someone who refused to work with others or interact emotionally with them, she left the room with an icy cold gaze.

"M, please take Silent Zephyrs to the bay. It will be necessary to readjust it, especially if you are going up against him."

"I got it."

After the girl called M answered, she closed the door. Alone in the corridor, she held onto the necklace on her chest and closed her eyes.

 _Just a little more...Just a little more..._

She had been waiting for this, waiting for this moment to arrive.

 _Then, my revenge will begin...that's right, finally—...Orimura Chifuyu..._

With no one knowing it, the girl's lips curled evilly. But that smile dropped instantly as she flashbacks to her days as a child where she saw herself on her knees and a sword pointed at her neck. Her opponent looked like a short silver haired boy with a blindfold around him, who bore no emotion despite being heavily wounded. M could only look up with a face of disdain, humiliated at her defeat as well as being severely injured. The people who were watching that day, Squall and Autumn included, could only give an emotionless stare.

Coming back to reality, M looked to a picture on the wall with the image of that same boy. She then lifted her collar up to see a scar across her throat going across that looked old yet still recognizable.

 _But first…I must kill_ _ **him**_ _, by any means necessary._

In anger, she stabbed a knife through the picture, right into the forehead of the image.


	20. Chapter 19: Lovely Style

**CHAPTER 19**

The cafeteria was quiet and only two people, more specifically two boys, were the only ones there sitting across the table and looking out to the ocean as they were drinking, Raiden having some sake while Ichika had just plain water, the blunette boy unaware that his counterpart was having alcohol.

It had been a long time since the two of them would just sit down and talk with each other. But for Ichika, he was exhausted and not just from training but the girls as well. He put his head down onto the table, with Raiden watching in amusement.

"What's wrong, An-chan?" asked Raiden.

Ichika groaned and sighed. "I'm tired. Ever since the start of the new semester, it's been nothing but work."

"Your sister been riding you?" asked Raiden but Ichika gave a confused face. What did it mean to ride him?

Clarifying his question, Raiden asked, "Riding you as in have you gotten punished by Chifuyu again?"

"No!" Ichika said as he shot his head up, only to get embarrassed by his loud voice of what he had said.

"N-No, it's not Chifuyu-nee. No, it's the…" Embarrassingly yet fearfully in a quiet voice of sorts, Ichika says "It's the girls, Anisama. They've been hounding me nonstop since I got here."

Ichika let his head rest on the cold table again. "I haven't slept in…I don't know how long."

Raiden, amused, wondered "I would've thought you'd enjoy being here at the Academy. You know, surrounded by cute girls and whatnot."

"Enjoying it?" asked Ichika as he then recounts his most recent experiences. "When I came here, I had to fight Cecilia to be the Class Representative until I lost the match yet became that in the end. And now she gets clingy over me. When I saw Rin transfer here, well, I have gotten along with her although she still has a temper tantrum but that's natural. As for Laura, she still ends up in my bed in the morning, naked and unashamed. Yet every time I say something, I get hammered by them."

"And that's why you're exhausted? Because you are tired of their existence and persistence?"

"Well, I-"

"An-chan," said Raiden as he poured a cup of sake. "A woman is like a flower. If you treat those roses well, they will bloom. But so far, your roses need water and you are not giving it to them."

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Ichika.

"It means that the girls want to be with you. You cannot just simply be a nice guy and expect everyone to cooperate and come to a compromise. Life does not work out that way unless you do not feel any attraction to them."

Ichika only gave a confused face as Raiden continued. He still could not understand the blind boy's logic even after one semester with him.

Raiden continued saying, "When I grew up with my Mentor in our mountain cabin in Yamanashi, she taught me a lot of things about women. It made me see beyond the obvious, hence why I do not mind one girl having me over the other, even as they try to fight it."

Raiden put down his sake cup.

"Eventually, you may have to choose someone to be with for the rest of your life. You cannot have your sister forever, kid. It doesn't work that way."

"But I'm worried for Chifuyu-nee. If she ever gets left alone-"

"Your sister will be fine." interrupted Raiden as he drinks his sake. "She is a strong woman and knows how to take care of herself. Besides, considering what we have been through this past year, I can think of a lot worse positions for you to be in."

"Trust me." said Ichika. "I've been in every positon with the girls for the past few days. But that reminds me: how are you so good with girls?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" asked Raiden.

"Like, you seem to have had Houki's attention lately and the two of you are often together, not to mention Charlotte and the Student Council President."

"Don't tell me your jealous, An-chan." chuckled Raiden which made Ichika stutter embarrassingly.

"What? No, I-I'm not!" denied Ichika quickly but Raiden kept a smirk on himself, thinking that a small part of Ichika is. It could just be natural for men to be jealous of other men to have beautiful girls, especially if one of them is a childhood friend.

"It's just…you seem to be good with them. How?" asked Ichika.

Raiden, setting his empty cup down, explained "I grew up around a lot of women, An-chan. I basically know their feelings and weaknesses like the backside of my hand. So, it isn't too difficult to deal with them, especially in situations that often have them near naked."

Ichika immediately stuttered before regaining composure.

"What?" asked Ichika. "Have you no shame for your actions?!"

"Who needs shame nowadays?" asked Raiden with a smile. "If a girl wants to have sex with you, then you do it. That's simple and straight forward, right?"

The speaker over the cafeteria was then turned on as it announced,

"ATTENTION PLEASE! Raiden Hataru and Ichika Orimura, please report to the IS Arena #6 hangar. Raiden Hataru and Ichika Orimura, please report to the IS Arena Hangar #6 immediately."

"Well I wonder what that could be. Shall we, An-chan?" asked Raiden.

"Huh? Oh, sure." responded Ichika.

The route to the hangar was a long one but easy to follow. In all honesty though, Ichika hated long walks because they tire him out. Luckily for him, he remembered where this hangar was. By the time the two boys got to the location, two identical doors were beheld to them.

"You know that saying, 'Knock and the door will open?'" asked Raiden.

"Yeah. I am getting a bad feeling about this." said Ichika.

"Well, only one way to find out." said Raiden as he got to the door on the right side while Ichika took the left. Both of them walked through their doors, closing it behind them as a while light enveloped them.

* * *

The Japanese tatami room was quiet. Traditionally made in the likeness of ancient Japan as its outdoor background was just like that of the Island of the Rising Sun, with Mount Fuji in full view as well as the Sakura trees. Raiden was already sitting on the floor with a Japanese tea set in front of him. Yet he didn't touch it because traditionally in Japan, someone serves the tea or the sake which is usually a woman. Speaking of a woman though…

The door opened slowly and out came Houki, in a traditional red and white kimono. However, she also had fox ears and a fox tail on her kimono, surprising Raiden at how stunning she looked. While a small part of her cleavage was exposed to see, what made her sexier was that her shoulders were exposed, making Raiden faintly blush at the sight.

She already had a blush on her face as she slowly approached her "master."

 _Wow. She's cute in that outfit…suits her almost too well._

Houki took notice of Raiden staring at her outfit, to which she blushed and turned her head to the side, saying,

"B-Baka. Don't stare at me so much."

Raiden was a little flabbergasted, but he smiled with a little chuckle. He then responded, "Sorry. You look very beautiful in that kimono. And the fox ears and tail are a nice touch."

Houki blushed more in response before she composed of herself along with clearing her throat.

"Master, let me serve you."

Raiden complied with the command and allowed Houki to sit by his side. She took the teapot in her hands and poured him some tea gently. One would think that her mind is at ease but in reality, too many thoughts were whirling around her like a ship in the middle of a maelstrom.

 _Calm yourself, Houki. You are just serving tea. You are not here to make fun, just acting as a servant. Like any woman would do._

Raiden took the cup and gave a small sip of it. The tea tasted well as the warmth of it relaxed Raiden and made him feel relieved. He looked at it and could tell from its color and texture that this was not pre-packaged green tea but something made entirely from scratch. He took a glance at Houki and gave a smile, realizing she made this herself.

Houki tried to keep the stoic face of a servant, but her face began to slowly turn red as she asked stutteringly,

"W-What?"

Raiden then said, "This is very well made. The best green tea I ever had."

Houki blushed in joy but also embarrassment. Excitement ran through her like wildfire and when she saw Raiden finish his first cup, she then said, "Th-Then let me serve you another."

Houki picked up the teapot in her hands but she realized just how close she was to Raiden as she got closer. Her right shoulder touched his left and the feeling of it made her excited. But in that moment, trigger happiness made her hands stumble with the pot and let it slip off.

"AUUGGHH!"

The teapot slipped from Houki as its contents were then spilled all over Raiden. Normally one would feel a burning pain but Raiden stood still like a tree, although in a somewhat shocking state of what had just happened. But it did not end there.

The table that held the tea was flipped over but the cups and teapot remained intact. A few spills stained the tatami mat but the worst of it all was when Raiden looked up to see Houki on top of him. When Houki realized this, her fox tail immediately shot up and puffed up. Her fox ears were shot up as well.

"S-S-Sorry! I didn't mean to. My hands slipped and I fell and I landed on you and…"

Raiden was a little aghast before he then gave quite a chuckle. Unfortunately, this made him earn the anger of the vixen on top of him.

"What's so funny?!" asked Houki with her tail swinging back and forth in irritation.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking of how cute you looked, especially with the fox ears and all."

In that response with a red face, she gave a fox noise.

*KON-KON*

That made the blind boy's heart moved at the cuteness of it, if not shocking him. Composing himself, he relaxed yet noticed that Houki was starting to sniff at him like any vixen would. He could already see her cleavage yet he was more so focused on the shoulders on how sexy they were.

Raiden then started to scratch behind the vixen's ears, making her feel good and relaxed as she laid her head on Raiden's chest. Her ears twitched in response to the scratching as Houki continued to sniff more and more of Raiden's scent. Her urge to nuzzle him shot up as she moved upwards and nuzzled at his neck and hair, earning a low growl from the lion.

Raiden continued to stroke Houki and nuzzle back in response. Soon their arms were wrapped around one another despite the lion covered in green tea. Their lips drew closer and closer as did their breathing. But then…

*DING DING DING*

"Shinonono-san, time is up." said Yamada-sensei.

Houki growled in irritation as her tail swished back and forth and her ears perked up in anger. She gave a scowl, wanting to finish her time with Raiden and get rid of this nauseating urge within herself. But unfortunately, rules are rules.

"What are you doing here, Yamada-sensei?" asked Raiden as he sat up once Houki got off.

"By the request of the teachers, they want to see how well you interact with the girls. I've been instructed to supervise and watch events and ensure that the rules are to be followed."

"While wearing that?" asked Raiden as he saw that Yamada-sensei was dressed up in a fully covered cow outfit.

"Never mind the costume. Your next guest will be here soon so I would advise you get ready."

Raiden sighed a little, realizing that there is more to come. He looked over to Houki who still bore a scowl on her face. Wanting to calm her down, Raiden brought her in for a hug by snaking his left hand to her waist and pulling her in.

*YAP?!*

Houki let out a cute squeal as any fox would and her red face immediately brightened. She then heard Raiden whisper into her ear.

"It's all right." cooed the lion to the vixen. "We can do it next time, hopefully soon."

This made Houki relax and lose her scowl as she soon lost herself to the unique smell of the lion, one which sent some ecstasy up into herself. Willingly, she let Raiden go and proceeded over to the side to watch as the blind boy proceeded to the next stage.

And yet, the ecstasy from his smell never left her mind nor her body, wanting her to crave for more.

* * *

The setup was nice, very European-like. The room was mostly yellow but also had an outside view of a backyard of sorts. Raiden saw a chair and two tables that were white and somewhat fancy looking. Raiden stroked his finger over the table, somewhat marveling over the furniture for its pristine cleanliness.

By then, another door opened as Raiden turned around. But what he saw shocked him for a bit, almost made him stutter backwards.

Charlotte was dressed up as a white poodle, exposing much of her skin, especially her cleavage that was clearly shown. In her mouth was a pink bag full of something. It looked like something one would put a special treat in, usually in the form of sweets. But what was surprising about Charlotte for Raiden's sight was the way she approached him.

Charlotte was crawling on all fours in a very sexy way and as a dog of all things! Every time she took a step forward, her hips moved very elegantly. Now Raiden has seen someone else like Tatenashi do this before in a cat costume but Charlotte? No way in a million years would he imagine his childhood friend do this.

 _Damn. Charlotte's got that nice rack and butt. I did not think she would be that sexy, especially in a poodle outfit of all things. I mean, Tatenashi in a cat outfit is fine but Charlotte in a poodle outfit?_

Raiden could give a quiet wolf whistle to himself. To say that he was impressed was not the correct term, rather surprised to see his childhood friend in something so skimpy. He had to wonder if Charlotte grew more feministic over the past years they had not seen each other and starting to do things she would normally never do.

Once Charlotte came to his feet, she sat like any dog would do: on her haunches. She held the bag in her hands after letting go of it from her mouth.

"Master, I brought you some cookies. Shall we eat them together?"

Raiden did not know what to say. He was still stunned at Charlotte's sight but eventually snapped out of his stupor and shook his head before clearing his throat.

"Uh, yes. Let's eat them, shall we?" Raiden asked with a smile. That brought happiness into Charlotte as her poodle tail wiggled back and forth very fast.

Taking their seats, Charlotte opened the bag and inside of it were cookies in the shape of hearts. Taking one out, Charlotte put part of the cookie in her mouth and let it hang there. Raiden was confused, he did not know what Charlotte was doing as he was going for another cookie in the bag before he heard a puppy whine from Charlotte herself. The French poodle was motioning her head towards Raiden.

Raiden finally understood what she wanted. Leaning forward, he took the other end of the cookie into his mouth. Nibbling her way through, Charlotte got her face closer and closer to Raiden's. Raiden looked over offstage and saw Houki with a displeasure look on her face, her cheeks puffed up, her fox tail wagging violently, and her ears perked up in anger.

Raiden could feel the anger radiating from the vixen and cringed in fear. Unfortunately, that flinch also resulted in Charlotte leaning forward too much and crashing the table to the ground, along with Raiden.

Charlotte found herself on top of the lion boy, the cookie gone from her mouth. She blushed in the position that she was in.

"Uwah! S-S-Sorr-Sorry Raiden! I didn't mean to. It was an accident! I leaned forward too much and—"

"No no no." interrupted Raiden. "Don't mention it. It was my fault there."

The table wasn't broken, and neither were the chairs, but after the two got up and rubbed their heads, Charlotte's intact cookie from her mouth earlier landed right between her breasts. Charlotte did not notice the cookie until she felt something stuck between her cleavage.

Charlotte felt her face embarrassed and flushed. Yet, for being the bold girl out of the gang, she cupped her breasts in her hands and showed them to Raiden. Raiden was all but jaw-dropped.

"Will…Will you please get this out of me, Master?"

Raiden swallowed and composed himself before he reached over for the cookie carefully so as to not recklessly grope something random. Raiden could hear Charlotte's breathing grow more and more heavier and Raiden's fingers made contact with the cookie as he gripped the sweet treat itself.

*DING DING DING DING DING*

A series of fast bell noises was heard, scaring both Charlotte and Raiden as the latter immediately pulled the cookie out of her cleavage. Yamada-sensei then came in with a red flag, like something out of a soccer game.

"Dunois-san, not only was your time up, but you are also disqualified for going too far with your act. Having sweet treats between your breasts is unacceptable."

Houki in the background agreed as she nodded her head. And Raiden could still tell she was still mad, which was mostly directed at him, confusing the boy. Why was she still mad, especially at him? He was only doing what a man would do if a woman offered a cookie between her breasts.

Speaking of the cookie, Raiden still had it in his hand. Casually shrugging to himself, Raiden ate the cookie, starting with the side that was in Charlotte's cleavage the entire time. But when the French poodle saw this, her face became redder than a frog on a hot plate in the middle of summer. Her arousal immediately skyrocketed and her hormones went out of control, craving just to pounce on the blind lion. After a few minutes of gawking, she let out a violent nosebleed and faints onto the floor backwards.

Raiden got surprised and jumped back, almost deploying his iron fan. Raiden was so shocked that he immediately needed to get to the next door that was waiting for him on the other side of the room. He left Charlotte on the floor while Yamada-sensei and Houki attended to the poor, unconscious poodle and cleaning up the blood.

* * *

It was dark. Dark as pitch black can be like space. Although Raiden did not need any eyes to see clearly as he resorted to his sense of smell and hearing, he felt that something was off and not right.

Speaking of smell, it smelled like the room had a perfume scent, one of sweet strawberries with a hint of…cocoa? Like chocolate?

 _That's an odd combination. Too sweet for my tastes._

Every step Raiden took was a silent one as he continued to walk forward in the darkness. As he did, he heard a very quiet giggle from someone, almost like a little girl. Raiden reached in slowly for his iron fan in case this was a trap.

*GONK*

Raiden felt something hit his head hard, almost like a sledgehammer. Caught off-guard from behind thanks to his stealthily assassin, Raiden soon fell forwards to the floor with a loud thump.

As he woke up, his vision was a bit groggy and he struggled to make himself of the situation he was in before he manages to see clear as day. However, something felt off, like there was something missing from his chest and his hands and feet were in a strange position, outwards and forwards. Raiden sat his head up to see his naked and scarred chest exposed.

 _My shirt is gone. Why is my shirt gone?_

The lights were turned on and Raiden beheld the room he was in. It was mostly dark pink and black all over the walls as it also decorated the furniture: black couch, a dark pink coffee table, black carpet mat, an artificial aquarium decorated in the back with no fish for some reason, and a large queen size bed with white pillows and thick pink blanket. There was a large, thick steel door on the far side of the room, shaped like the ones in the banks leading to their precious vaults. And to top it all off, a pink circular cage surrounding the bed.

On the bed, Raiden tried to bring his arms and legs together but couldn't until he felt something cold on his hands. Looking at them, Raiden could see that his hands and feet were bound to the corners of the bed. Normally these handcuffs would be made of raw steel but they were more like leather straps with fur decorated on them. He tries to pull his hands out from them, but they won't budge. Stuck there for who knows how long, Raiden merely relaxes, though who knows how long considering how his legs and arms are starting to fall asleep.

 _First a vixen samurai serving me tea, then a French poodle offering me cookies, now what? A skimpy blue cat freely giving me service?_

Speaking of a skimpy blue cat though, the cage door opened loudly as Raiden looked up front to see who the shadowy figure was. It was definitely female yet for some reason from the figure she was wearing…a tail? And cat ears? She was swinging her hips from side to side as she walked, with a bell from her neck ringing every time she took a step. When the figure got to the end of the bed, the light revealed her to be none other than the Student Council President and Raiden's roommate.

"So, Aruji-sama. Are you ready for your…room service?"

Tatenashi was dressed in a sky blue skimpy cat outfit that seemed half a size smaller for herself. Cuffs of her decorated her wrists. Slowly and seductively getting on the bed on all four of her paws, her tongue hanging out from her mouth and her breathing growing more and more lustily.

"Fancy meeting you here, given the circumstances?" said Raiden with a straight and calm face. This only amused the cat girl.

"Hmm? Are you not happy to be in this position, Aruji-sama?" asked Tatenashi as she began to rub herself over the blind boy's bare chest.

"Well, I've never woken up in bed with handcuffs attached to me." Raiden said as the cat continued to nuzzle him. He could feel the urge within him grow by the second the more Tatenashi rubbed herself over her. Her tail swung back and forth slowly somehow as she rubbed herself all over.

"What do you think of the outfit, nya~?" asked the SCP in a seductive voice.

 _Nya?_ Raiden thought, a little surprised that she just happened to say it at the end.

"It looks great. You look even more sexier with the pink lights on like this." Raiden answered as the girl's head reached up to his neck. She adjusted herself by sitting directly on top of Raiden's lap, feeling a slight twitch from something in the lower regions of his body.

"You seem to be getting along well with the girls. Too well in fact. Are you trying to be the 'master' and they your 'slaves?'" teased Tatenashi.

"The first 'slave' I had in this place was you." Raiden pointed out.

Tatenashi giggled at that remark and asked, "And that also means I am your favorite, hence you use me most of the time, do you not?" She then stuck her cat tongue out at the lion boy's nose.

"Oh, give me a break. You are the one who asks for it." Raiden said in annoyance. Knowing Tatenashi's mischievous nature, he couldn't argue with what she does to him. While her certainly knew that side, he also knows her real side; a normal girl who cares and loves him just as much as he loves her.

The two of them laughed for a bit before Tatenashi decides to bring her lips over to Raiden and lightly kiss him. She teases his lips with her tongue lightly, attempting to invade his mouth with hers but Raiden resists. The temptation to respond to Tatenashi's invasion was strong and nerve-wracking to submit to. But lions do not bow that easily to other cats.

Letting go of his lips, Tatenashi asks seductively, "Do you want me to give you the time of your life, Aruji-sama?"

Raiden smirks in response. "Undo these wrist straps and I'll show you."

Lying herself on top of his chest, Tatenashi undoes the straps with pleasure and once they were released, she kisses Raiden intimately and passionately. The blind boy responds back as he opens the palms of his hands to grasp Tatenashi's and interlock their fingers together.

It wasn't until Raiden used his right hand to break away from Tatenashi's left palm that he rested it on her fur-covered hip before grabbing a hold of her tush, earning a yelping moan from the girl's lips still attached to Raiden's.

* * *

 **Meanwhile outside the door…**

"Do you almost got it?" asked Houki.

"Almost, but this thing is so hard to figure out. It's like trying to solve an impossible Rubik's cube." said Charlotte as she was tinkering with the large steel door.

Houki and Charlotte were outside the room Raiden was in. They had no idea who the third person for Raiden was, but Houki had a small suspicion it was someone familiar. Wanting to get to the bottom of it, she and Charlotte had to first figure out this vault door. Already they got through most of the locks thanks to Charlotte's skills of picking doors that she learned from Laura but this last one was proving most troublesome.

"Can't we just tear down this door?" asked Houki frustratingly as she lightly tapped her right foot. She was not impatient at Charlotte but more so on the fact that some other girl, most likely Tatenashi, has Raiden in the room doing something indecent. She had her IS swords at the ready just in case so as to not get overpowered easily.

Charlotte sighed in defeat and said, "We can't. For some reason, this door is resistant to our IS weaponry. If only we had a portable laser cutter or something…"

Houki could only sigh while Charlotte grew more and more irritated at how hard this last lock was on this damn door. Whatever was happening to their favorite blind lion could not be good, for them at least. It was then that Yamada-sensei approached the girl with something in her hands.

"Girls, did you mean this?" asked the teacher carrying two large portable laser cutters, mostly for cutting metal.

They were simple in design as they look like a cross between a range weapon and a large welder. It was tuned specifically to cut through titanium and other iron based materials at a thickness of up to 10 cm. This makes it an essential tool for construction, salvage, and rescue operations, but ineffective on natural obstacles. The type of laser emitted is a common CO2 laser but improved upon with added elements to make the beam more focused and stronger. Each laser cutter used one large cartridge of fuel that needs replenishing once fully depleted.

Houki and Charlotte each took a laser cutter and, starting from opposite sides, started cutting through the steel door. This was going to take a while though as they intended to cut through the entire 4 ft. thick steel door. While they did not want to rush it and get injured in the process, they were still eager to get through and find out just what the hell is happening to Raiden.

* * *

 **Back inside…**

Tatenashi spent a good five minutes just wetting her lips with Raiden while grinding on her hips with his. Her clothed nether regions were in touch with his as she rubbed herself all over the pole that was getting bigger inside his loose pants. She was excited for it, just as much as her front paws were excited at rubbing the scarred area that was his chest. She rubbed her chest with his and felt her breasts being rubbed erotically, earning slightly louder moans.

Raiden was just caressing his favorite blue cat, especially on her buttocks before he manages to find the tail and grab it gently but firmly. This prompted Tatenashi to release her kiss and give a loud moan as her hormones skyrocketed.

"Oh? Does this kitty like it when her tail is grabbed all of the sudden?" asked an intriguing Raiden.

Raiden continued to pull little by little on the tail, increasing the tightness of his fist grabbing the tail. He then moved his head over to Tatenashi's cat ears and gently purred behind them, giving her exquisite pleasure and her ears moving in response.

They both sat up as Tatenashi grinded herself more and more at a faster pace and Raiden followed suit. He wanted to be inside Tatenashi. He could take control and make the cat be turned into a slave for him to release his animal instincts and give her another love session as they have done countless times in the past, trying to dominate one another.

Tatenashi continues her grind, moving faster than before and grabbing Raiden's head and plunging a deep kiss, their tongues intertwining as saliva spilled all over. In that moment, they each grinded their hips at each other the hardest. With both of them reached their limit, they released their kiss in the process and gave off a loud moan, shortly followed by Tatenashi and Raiden falling onto the bed.

"Well…I never saw _that_ coming. But, I suppose that since you did that, you deserve a… _reward._ " Tatenashi said, with an emphasis on the word reward. After resting for a few seconds, the blue cat takes the exhausted lion's hands and binds them into the handcuffs again.

She then scoots herself down the lion's body slowly, licking and kissing his chest and abdominal regions along the way. Each kiss and lick sent pleasure to the lion, especially the abs, but it was clear to Raiden what the blue cat was after now. His shaft was bigger than usual and sticking out to the side. Tatenashi got to the region and was already in the process of beholding her prize.

But a loud noise was heard, like the sound of a giant statue falling from its stand. The steel door on the far side of the room had a circular cut all over it as red hot metal decorated its edge. It was lying flat side down as smoke emitted the air and in stepped a familiar vixen and poodle. Once the smoke cleared, they beheld what was in front of them in a mix of both shock and anger directed at the two cats.

"Aw! And I was just getting to the fun part." said the blue cat as she stood up on her haunches.

Charlotte and Houki's expression were like the worst depths of hell at their boiling point. Having initially been worried for their lion only for him to be claimed by another feline made them purely mad, and that is the safest way to say it. Pure rage was so high coming off from them that it could turn the room into a sauna.

Partially activating their IS, Houki lunged forward and opened the door to try to get the cat, but Tatenashi was too smart and clever and evaded her strikes easily. She then heard some bullets shooting by her as Charlotte attempted to gun her down maniacally but her aiming was awfully sloppy. Tatenashi avoided it all and skedaddled immediately, leaving the two girls furious that their prey got away.

All that were left in the room were a tied up Raiden to the bed and the poodle and vixen steaming from the blue cat's antics.

"Uh, you two. If it helps, can you help me out here?" asked Raiden. But that was a huge mistake.

Approaching the boy with a dark expression that covered their face except for their eyes that shined bright yellow, they approached him coldly. Houki then asked a question,

"Hey, Charlotte. What do you think we should do?" asked the samurai girl. It did not take long for the French girl to come up with an idea.

"Our mate had deserted us for some other cat. It's time for him to be punished." Charlotte then made a shotgun reload sound with her rifles while Houki drew her swords upwards. Fear struck into Raiden as sweat poured down his face. He tries to get out and break free but the cuffs were too tight.

"Wait wait wait! I did not plan this, okay? We do not need to go that far. I will make it up to you two, I swear!"

Words fell on deaf ears though as Charlotte proceeded to unleash hell with her guns and Houki came down full swinging. Raiden only screamed that of death and pain from that of what he fears most: getting punished brutally by his favorite girls.

* * *

"I have someone I want to introduce you to. But for now, it can wait. In the meantime, you've got some girls waiting for you."

Tatenashi was on top of Ichika, the blue cat pouncing on the poor boy. But she was only there to deliver a message and so got away from Cecilia, Laura, and Rin just in time as they got to him. For Rin though, she wore a blanket around herself considering how the damn blue cat stole her costume. Fortunately for her, there was a tiger outfit that was somewhat similar to the original outfit she had, courtesy of an old friend.

Raiden meanwhile broke free of the restraints thanks to Yamada-sensei's help but his body fell to the floor in pain because of the bruises. Thanks to Houki and Charlotte, he was now struggling to get up but while these wounds are superficial at best, they still hurt a lot. But Raiden was more scared of seeing his two favorite animals go all ballistic on him for the position he was in that they deemed indecent. He at least manages to stand up and grab his shirt but not before he sees Houki and Charlotte outside, sitting down with a pouty face.

"Girls are you two okay?" asked Raiden as he put on his shirt. His only response was a big Hmph! from the poodle and the vixen who turned their heads away from him.

Raiden sighed in regret. Any man found in that position would either be screaming like a little girl or giving a smirk for a taste of what was to come next. Raiden kept his indifference and accepted his fate but what was he suppose to do or even say to the vixen and poodle? He got knocked out and woke up tied to the bed before a blue cat came and lusted after his body.

Going over to the girls, he then asked, "Hey, you two. Just what is going on in your minds? Tell me."

Houki and Charlotte initially refused but knowing that refusal gets them nowhere, they decided to come clean.

"Well, it's just…" started Charlotte with a red face. "When you do those things with Tatenashi, we get jealous. So we tried to do that as well just to make you happy. But, in the end, all we ever did was beat you up for it. We're so sorry."

Houki agreed to that statement. Maybe the beating went too far. Sure they found Raiden with the blue cat but if he really were cheating on them, he would've been ignoring them the whole time they were together. And they both know Raiden is not that kind of person despite his charms.

Raiden sighed greatly and said "Well…how should I say this…"

"There's nothing wrong with you two wanting to become more intimate. However, a woman's charm isn't as simple as sex appeal." Raiden turns his head over to Charlotte. "Whether it is the innocent, open-minded Charlotte…" Next, he turns his head to Houki, both of them catching onto his words of wisdom. "Or the serious and honest Houki…"

Raiden then gives a warm smile and says, "The truth is, I like you both."

That statement moved their hearts very lovely as Raiden continued his explanation. "It's the same for the others as well, but in your cases, it is more. Everyone has their own charm. And people tend to be drawn to what they don't have. Therefore, they admire others and neglect themselves."

Raiden then came over to both the vixen and the poodle and gently patted their heads. "Houki, Charlotte. You're both charming the way you are, so you two do not need to force yourselves to change."

"Oh, that's right." The two of them said.

Both girls blushed and smiled in their own way. The two of them both went for a hug to Raiden as he hugged them back but not before they took a whiff of his shirt, that held his sweaty smell, which was intoxicating and addicting.

Their brief moment was interrupted when Tatenashi appeared from behind and wrapped her arms around Raiden, taking in the smell of his silver hair. With a nya~, she too found herself in the same addition as Houki and Charlotte. Both the vixen and the poodle were too busy smelling the shirt and completely ignored Tatenashi, even as gave a nibble on Raiden's ear.

Raiden chuckled and then said, "You three, go back to the room you found me in. I will join you shortly."

The three girls departed from Raiden and went over to the room they were in. Meanwhile, Raiden went to check over on Ichika, as he found the poor boy exhausted and sitting on a piece chair, head down in fatigue.

"Tired, An-chan?" asked Raiden as he came over.

"Yeah. I don't know what was happening but it was too crazy." said Ichika.

"Enlighten me." said a curious Raiden.

"Well, first it started with Cecilia…"

Ichika went on to explain each of the events that had happened in that while he had fun, he had no idea what the purpose of it was. Raiden had anticipated this, considering that the event was meant for something, something big.

It was then that Raiden's phone in his pocket began to ring. He answered the call.

"Hey. Yeah, where are you? Here already? Understood. I'll be sure to tell him. And get the others ready as well."

Raiden ends the call before Ichika asks "Who was that, Anisama?"

"Your birthday present from me." The blind boy immediately answered.

"What?"

"It's time for you, An-chan, to become a man. And I know just the thing."

Another door suddenly opened up, a huge one. And from it was a large black Hummer V2 that pulled itself over and parked in front of the guys. Ichika was confused but Raiden kept a small smirk because he knew what was next. Coming over towards the Hummer were Cecilia, Laura, and Rin, the British and German girl in their bunny suits while Rin wore the tiger suit. For some reason though, they seemed to be in some sort of hypnotic state of lust and excitement, sending shivers down Ichika's spine.

The Hummer V2 door popped open and out emerged three women, a brunette, a black-haired, and a ginger. They emerged in their sexy outfits, the brunette wearing a typical purple bra and panties while the ginger had a swimsuit bikini with Hawaiian colors. The black-haired woman though revealed herself in a sexy outfit that could only spell punishment as she carried a black whip crop in her hands as her legs had fishnet stockings and her feet wearing black heels.

"A-Anisama, what is this?" asked a fearful Ichika.

"Your birthday present." said Raiden. He then tossed a bundle of cash to the three women before he turned around to Ichika and said,

"Have fun."

The three women advanced towards Ichika as he stepped fearfully back. What kind of birthday present was this to him? He certainly did not want this. No no no!

Getting a little impatient, the black-haired girl cracked out her whip and caught Ichika's legs, bring him to the floor before the rest of his body was lassoed up. His chin was then cupped by the woman who gave a smirk and chuckle.

"Are you ready for your present, birthday boy?"

"Uhh…" was all the poor boy could say. The ginger-haired and brunette directed Laura, Cecilia, and Rin to enter the Hummer first before they stood at the door open. The black-haired woman then dragged Ichika over.

"Wait no! Stop! Who are you? What are you doing?! Somebody, please help me!"

Raiden watched from the sidelines with content as Ichika got dragged into the Hummer screaming before the doors were shut and locked.

"Now then, where was I?" asked Raiden to himself as he turned to see all three of his girls on the large bed in the same room he was in with Tatenashi, giving off their sexiest positions. Tatenashi was hanging upside down from the side of the bed with her tail swinging right next to him. Charlotte lied down on her back on the bed as she cupped her breast with her right hand and her thigh with her left, and Houki sat on her haunches and exposing her entire right leg as her tail swung back and forth as her ears perked in excitement.

Knowing what comes next, he blocks the door by activating an emergency one that came down and covered the destroyed vault door that was cut open. His girls were waiting for him and the lion stripped himself of his shirt before entering the bed and closing the cage door surrounding it.

This night was going to be very fun.

* * *

The office was quiet for Chifuyu. The atmosphere felt silent and the lights were off, with only her desk lamp on. The former champion of the Mondo Grosso had a lot of paperwork to do on her desk and she needed some booze to take her mind off of stuff. Normally she would have beer but in this case, she needed the harder stuff. Scotch was a prime example of this as she secretly kept one in a safe under her desk for her use only.

Chifuyu poured herself a cup and took a full swing at it when drinking. The alcohol helped immeasurably yet she needed to watch herself lest she get a hangover by the next morning. Besides, that would be the last thing she ever needs not only for her position as teacher but also for her own reputation and pride. Alcohol and her were nothing if old friends.

But the Brunhilde's mind was off somewhere else. And in the mind of that iron-blooded woman laid a conflicted feeling within herself about recent events. The most memorable being a faded mark she had acquired from the one boy she believed to have failed the most. His words echoed within her mind.

 _You have no idea what she has done for me…unlike you._

Chifuyu could still feel the effects of the slap and the scratch that came with it. Perhaps she went too far with what she said to Raiden. She didn't want the lion to get all depressed because of his dark powers and most certainly did not want to see him get hospitalized due to a serious injury time and time again but at the same time, she could not believe what she had uncovered about his past, though only partially. But how could she know that of all the people she knew her old and hated rival from her childhood, Akane Fujimoto, would be the one to take care of Raiden for six years?

 _Akane…You were always reckless, living by your own rules and deciding your own choices through sheer force alone. You exceled in Academics but you were still violent, always wanting to get into a fight with someone for whatever reason. You meant well with words but took them too far with action._ _You went so far as to make Tabane cry because of her "toys" as you would call them, resulting in our fights._

Sighing in annoyance, Chifuyu took another cup of Scotch. She tried her best to get those memories away from her mind yet they keep resurfacing.

 _But how the hell did you end up with Raiden? Moreover, why would you take care of him? That is what I don't understand._

Akane, as a spirit and watching from the sidelines, could see Chifuyu drink away her sorrows. She couldn't help but feel a slight bit of pity for the former IS champion but she didn't really care. The two of them were hardly friends back then and they will never be in the present, alive or dead. But that didn't necessarily mean they did not have each other's respect, sometimes. Thank goodness that no-one other than Raiden can see the blue-haired woman's spirit.

In a way, the two of them were similar in their days of high school but as Chifuyu mentioned, Akane was reckless. She lived by her own set of rules and always did something careless. She didn't care for the people in charge of school as she dubbed them to be nothing but "old relics who just want to test out your brain to see if you are compatible to live in society and not make you learn a damn thing about life." Chifuyu had somewhat agreed to what Akane meant but that didn't necessarily mean she could do whatever the hell she wanted to do for her own pleasure. There is a difference between independence and free-will, and to Chifuyu, Akane demonstrated both of them at the same time in a form of what she considered to be bad behavior.

Chifuyu could recount the days of when those two almost often fought each other, mostly privately to avoid attracting attention from teachers. They were equally matched and neither gained the upper hand. One of their main fights was because Akane insulted Tabane over her inventions, calling it a "pathetic excuse of a toy" and making her cry. That quickly escalated into a fight between Chifuyu and Akane and before it got worse, there was another girl. A blonde-blue haired American girl able to speak fluent Japanese. One who would always give a harsh talk to Akane, to which it never helped much.

Miriam Walker, Akane's close friend and the one holding her leash. Chifuyu always thought of her to be Akane's supporter but all she ever did was keep watch over Akane and restrain her at best. Chifuyu held nothing but respect for Miriam and commended the choice she made to restrain someone like Akane but the future Brunhilde and the blond girl in their youth were nowhere near to being mutual friends.

And now Miriam was Raiden's guardian as shown in the documents when he entered the Academy. Not to mention that Akane was in Raiden's life.

Chifuyu needed answers. And she knows that with Miriam working with the CIA and being the officer in charge of Raiden's cases whenever he goes off on a mission assigned by them, she would have the answers to Raiden's childhood. But would she really do it? Just brazenly call her in the middle of the night demanding files on Raiden from the American Central Intelligence Agency? It has been too many years since last they saw each other and this short reunion is going to be one full of awkwardness.

But screw all that; Chifuyu needed those answers right here and right now.

Taking out her cell phone, she dials the number shown on Raiden's document in the emergency contact section for Miriam.

"Who is this?" asked Miriam as she was still working on her desk filing away some work.

"Miriam, it's Chifuyu." said the Brunhilde. To say Miri was shocked to hear the Brunhilde's voice was only temporary as she put on her usual work face that was normally serious. Miri did not know what to think or feel but that moment was only brief as she could not let such emotions get the better of her.

She then gave a sigh. "To think you would be the one to call me at a time like this. After almost 20 years or so…"

"Surprised?" asked Chifuyu.

"Hardly." Miriam replied. "Although from the sound of it, you aren't calling to catch up on things."

"Far from it. You always were one to be observant. Listen. I need your help. It's about Raiden."

"What about him?" asked Miriam as she looked over his profile that she pulled out just on a whim.

"I need to know what happened to him in his childhood. And I know for a fact that the CIA has his records. Or to clarify, you have them."

"Well, I do have them here in my hand. But what makes you think I should just casually give them to you?" asked Miri with a slight smirk on her end, a smirk unrecognizable for the Brunhilde to pick up from her voice.

"These documents are highly classified records and they contain everything on him. What was submitted to the Academy on the day he was accepted was just a cover-up as orders from the Director himself. I can get you a copy but I cannot do it electronically."

Chifuyu thought for a minute. She isn't the kind of person to speak of her past and be embarrassed but for her sake, what choice did she have? She needed answers and needed to know what happened to the boy she left at the orphanage all those years ago. To simply leave things where they are now is time she does not have.

"And what makes you want to know more of his past?" asked Miriam with a serious face. She had to ask with some intensity to ensure that Chifuyu is not playing this on a whim.

"I…We had an argument. One that ended with me being slapped for going too far on talking about Akane when I found out about the role she played in his past."

Miriam was a bit surprised but at the same time she wasn't. After all, the child she raised alongside Akane did get much of her influence rubbed onto him. She gave a sigh, wondering what Akane would think she would do if she were still alive had it not been for that damn poison in her system from one of her missions. Akane and Chifuyu did have a bitter rivalry with one another in their childhood, one that would always end up bloody and at an impasse. The part where Miriam was surprised was only because Chifuyu had not forgotten about Akane and of their past encounters.

"Meet me at The Hideout in Roppongi tomorrow evening. You know where it is." said Miriam.

Chifuyu ended the call. She didn't trust what she had just signed but for the sake of her well-being in order to find out more about Raiden, she had to do this. After all, she had taken much worse things in her past but she just hopes this one does not end on a bad note.

* * *

Ichika just had enough of what was going on for a lifetime. He still couldn't understand how Raiden handles it so easily and shamelessly. Even with his explanations and of the revelation how Raiden was always around women, it still didn't make sense to Ichika of how he was so calm about it. Even more so of what had happened to him in that limo of all things.

Ichika decided to take a walk just to cool his mind off of things. It was late. The stars were already out and the lights were turned on to pave the road back to the dorms. But as Ichika walked, he couldn't help but feel that he wasn't alone. His fears were slowly catching up and his heartbeat as well. He then turned around and saw a shadowy figure revealing herself in the light.

"What the...?"

Whoever this person was, dressed in black clothing, she was not friendly. In fact, she bore no emotion except with a smile, a smile with the intent to kill. On the other hand, it's definitely not someone Ichika knows too.

Thinking like that, when she took two steps forward, the silhouette also came forward a step. Furthermore, it was a face that Ichika recognized. Then again, it's not something that can be said by a face that he recognized.

"Chi-Chifuyu-nee...?"

A girl around 15 to 16 years old stands at a good distance to Ichika. But, that face abnormally resembled Chifuyu.

"No."

The girl opened her mouth. A faint smile surfaced on that face, and that expression doesn't resemble Chifuyu even a little bit.

"I am you, Orimura Ichika."

"Wh-what...?"

"Sorry to trouble you earlier..."

"You, could you be Silent Zephyr's - "

"That's right."

The girl took a step towards him.

"And my name is…Orimura Madoka."

Orimura...Madoka? Ichika has never heard that name before, but why does she have the same surname as him? No, rather than that. Why does she resemble Chifuyu that much!?

"In order for me to be myself, and to have my revenge on the one who robbed me for so long...I'll take your life."

The thing that she held out all of a sudden was a handgun that released a dull light. A dry gunshot sound reverberated across the courtyard.


	21. Chapter 20: Words of Intimacy

**CHAPTER 20**

 **WARNING:** There will be HENTAI. If you are uncomfortable with it, please skip to the next chapter.

* * *

BANG!

"Wha...!?"

Shooting at an innocent person in the middle of the night? This is Japan for crying out loud! But the bullet flew directly at Ichika and for some reason, the bullet looked slow yet clear. But before it can reach him, something happened., which made Madoka click her tongue.

The bullet penetrated someone else who stood in front of Ichika. It was Raiden, who took the hit to his left shoulder as it grazed him a bit.

"Get down, Ichika!"

Immediately after following what he said, Raiden took out his tessen and threw it at Madoka while it folded itself out. The girl however was able to catch it with ease.

"I knew you would come out…"

Madoka then threw it back at Raiden to which he caught easily before a knife immediately came flying at his direction in front of him, making him use his fan and deflect the object as it came back, but losing his fan in the process. Madoka tried to catch the knife but the blade made a blood mark on her right hand once it was in her grasp.

Although it did not seem noticeable, Madoka clicked her tongue a little in annoyance to her injury. Her old rival was just too good with flying objects coming towards him. Hell, in the past he was able to evade even an M134 minigun with ease. That just showed just how well trained and advanced he was, much to her irritation.

After looking at the small wound and holstering her knife away, Madoka looked back only to find Raiden gone. That is until she heard a click to her left and saw an M9 Beretta Silencer pointed at her head, with Raiden as its holder. Madoka could not help but smirk a little.

 _Clever, but not clever enough._

Madoka swiped the gun away with her left hand as she turned in the same direction, only for Raiden to holster it back quickly. Raiden tries to throw a couple punches but Madoka blocks them and grabs Raiden by the back of the head, going in for a punch with her right. Raiden was stunned briefly but it wasn't enough as the two engaged in a close quarters combat.

After trading punches, Madoka then grabs Raiden and flips him over her, only for Raiden to get back up while drawing his pistol and give a couple shots. But Madoka wasn't there in her spot.

Raiden knew she wouldn't just leave and disappear for it was not in her nature to do so unless given a legitimate reason. As for Madoka, her rival was right in front of him and this may be the opportunity to finally be rid of him. She emerges out of hiding and draws another knife, more like a Japanese Wakizashi. Sensing her presence, Raiden open fires on her as she dodges the bullets and comes up to the lion.

Raiden ducks under and deflects her horizontal strike with his gun, which was knocked out of his hand in the process. After a spin on both opponents' parts, Madoka tries to make a downward stab, only for Raiden to kick her side before spin kicking her in the face, dropping her to her knees. Raiden, using the cloud-like energy from his IS, sends Madoka flying after knocking her back with a backwards punch. Raiden then picked up his pistol and aimed it towards Madoka as she got up.

Knowing that staying any longer is a waste of time, Madoka deploys her IS. She then turned to Raiden and said,

"I will be back."

With that said, Madoka flew off. And just like that, the attacker who suddenly appeared for one moment, disappeared completely into the night the next. Raiden grunted a little under his own breath, knowing that he will be seeing her again.

"Are you alright, Anisama?" asked Ichika as he stood up.

"I'm fine. What about you?" asked Raiden as he turned around and put his gun away.

"Ahh, I'm okay. Thanks for your help."

"Anytime."

Raiden picked up his tessen lying on the floor, folded it inwards, and sheathed it, yet as he did, he slightly grunted a little because of his left shoulder that was now bleeding down to his arm.

Ichika patted away the dirt on himself and saw his foster brother's left shoulder.

"Ah. Anisama, you're bleeding!"

"Hm?" Raiden looked over to his left shoulder, of which he became slightly amused. "Oh, it's nothing. Just a scratch. I'll patch it up once we get back."

Ichika could not help but sigh a little. After all, Raiden and injuries have a thing in common. But it was then that Raiden had his back turned to him.

"Ichika…" Raiden said in a serious tone, catching the blunette boy's attention, if not a little jumpy from Raiden's serious voice.

"Whatever you heard from that girl…forget about it."

"What?" asked Ichika.

"They're nothing but lies. Whoever that person claimed to be died a long time ago. The dead are not to be disturbed."

Ichika was left puzzled. Just forget about what he had heard? There wasn't any way he ever could and even if he did try, it would still bug him. Nevertheless, the two boys continued to walk back to the Academy as Ichika went straight to his dorm room while Raiden gave a report of what had happened both to Chifuyu and to Miriam.

* * *

It was late in the evening, and Raiden and Charlotte were both out on a mission that was given to them a few days after the attempted assassination on Ichika. They stood, with their activated IS units, on a tall stack of cargo containers, looking over at the workers that were unloading the other containers from the cargo ship that was in the docking bay.

"IS equipment escort, huh?" Raiden asked.

Charlotte nodded, "Yeah. Overseas corporations have asked us to test their prototype equipment."

"My sources told me that it was more than just that." said Raiden. "There was also something illegal being shipped here. What it is I do not know."

Apparently, Raiden was informed by Miri about what was happening over at the harbor and in the interest of national and international security, she wanted him to investigate it. Mission details were hazy so it was pretty much unknown, only the location and shipment being delivered was shown. Beyond that, nothing relevant.

Charlotte then gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry you had to come with me on this mission despite what happened recently. Everyone else was busy, Ichika included."

"Don't worry about it." Raiden said with a smile as he patted Charlotte's head. "Besides, I can't let you take on everything yourself now, can I?"

"I can say the same for you." said Charlotte, though her tone suggested that she was worried for Raiden given of what happened when she heard of his encounter with Madoka.

Raiden picked this up and reassured her.

"Hey, don't worry. We've both come this far on our own separate paths. We just need to see where the rest of it leads."

Charlotte was only convinced temporarily. Though she knew her childhood friend was capable of defending himself, he had always put himself in the line of fire, getting injured often and it made her hurt as well emotionally. But she learned to control it and not let it get the better of her despite her worries.

An explosion was heard not far from their position in the form of a great fireball.

"What was that?" asked Charlotte. Raiden used his optic sensors to get a closer look from far away.

One of the cargo containers was lit up in a brilliant ball of flame, and several armed ground troops moved towards the explosion to check.

"Let's get down there. Quietly. Engage only when necessary." said Raiden.

"Okay." said Charlotte as she followed Raiden's lead.

Followed by the earlier explosion, a cargo truck came rushing in straight through the steel fence and came to a breaking stop. The cargo slid open almost futuristically as blue light erupted out of the interior and revealed 2 green military-grade IS units.

"No nationality or ID code…" said Raiden through his scanners.

He then signaled for Charlotte to create a diversion. She was positioned up top of a container and lying down with her sniper rifle. Given the green light, she pulls the trigger and open fires.

Distracted, the pair of hostiles took to cover before being ambushed by Raiden and engages one of them in close combat with his gunblade. The other pilot tries to help her partner but is distracted easily by Charlotte who unleashes hell with her rifles, making the pilot back off.

"Damn, they're too quick!" said one of the pilots as they came back to back, each of them facing either Raiden or Charlotte.

"Surrender now and no one has to get hurt." ordered Charlotte with her rifles pointed as Raiden pointed his as well.

"You'd be wise to listen to the lady." advised Raiden.

"IS pilots?" asked one of the pilots in shock.

"It doesn't matter." said the other. "Eliminate them." She then opened fire on Charlotte.

Charlotte zig-zags out of the way before jumping upwards, distracting the pilot before Raiden came charging in head on with his gunblade before she blocked it. Charlotte battled the other pilot in the air in the meantime.

"Damn it!" said the pilot engaging Charlotte as she then opened up missile ports on her IS and fired all 24 missiles at the French girl. Charlotte dodged them all before landing back to the ground.

"Not bad." Charlotte had to give her credit for using them as it was a good tactical move. She then re-engaged the pilot in the skies.

Back on the ground, Raiden and the IS pilot engaged in close quarters combat, with Raiden using his gunblade and the pilot using an ordinary IS knife. After dodging a few strikes from the knife, Raiden sees his opponent back away onto the crates before she goes behind. He then pursues her, dodging the flying bullets directed at him.

"You're disappointing Revive here with your poor skills!" said Charlotte as she easily blocked a thrust from her opponent. She then activated her Shield Pierce and thrusted hard into the pilot, knocking her back against a container.

Raiden cuts off one of the pilot's wings with his gunblade before grabbing her head, slamming her against a container, and tossing her backwards onto the ground. He then presses his foot downwards and pointed his gunblade to her neck.

"Care to surrender? Or would you prefer death?" asked the blind pilot.

The pilot thought for a minute but as she looked at herself, she could see a few bits of blood oozing from her head. In shame and regret, she gave up on reaching her rifle that was in front of her.

All seemed over now but that was not to last.

The pilot that Charlotte knocked out with her Shield Pierce sat up in pain and pointed her rifle at Charlotte. Charlotte managed to block the shots with her shield but as the bullets traveled upwards, they created a hole which then ignited into flames, almost like gasoline being set on fire.

Raiden caught wind and saw Charlotte completely exposed. She looked just in time to see the explosion right in front of her for a split-second, only for Raiden to appear and shield her. A massive explosion soon took over the two.

* * *

Charlotte and Raiden were being scanned when they returned from the Academy, about two days after the mission. Though they only suffered minor injuries, the explosion from the container did much more than just leave a few singes. Watching them both were Chifuyu and Yamada-sensei, the latter being behind the computer looking at the scans.

"It's a miracle both of you managed to escape with minor injuries." said Chifuyu. She then said the next thing in somewhat of a strict tone. "Next time, think twice before you engage someone with just you two."

Raiden did not want to complain despite getting the mission done but there were a few mistakes, mistakes he was well aware of. Both he and Charlotte gave an understanding nod as the former was being continued to scan for anomalies. How is Raiden going to write a report of this to Miri?

Chifuyu and Raiden both avoided eye contact. Though it did not look like it as they maintained a professional attitude, a small part of themselves felt awkward in each other's presence because of their recent argument after the attack on the Academy by Phantom Task. Neither of them wanted to even think what the other was thinking because not only would it be a waste of time, but also that they probably need some separation. After all, not every brother and sister relationship is perfect without some separation after a few arguments. Of course, people would say that is what makes it worthwhile considering that the aftermath of such arguments are what make these kinds of relationships beautiful and bring siblings closer.

For the two of them though, they still needed some time to separate from one another. After all, Chifuyu did have a meeting tonight planned with Raiden's boss at a restaurant somewhere in Tokyo.

After finishing their scans and comparing data, Yamada-sensei began to make her analysis.

"Alright, Dunois-san, for your Revive, aside from your shield, there doesn't seem to be any major damage to your unit."

She then turned to Raiden with a grave look however,

"But Hataru-sama, we will need to take your unit in for extensive repair. At its current state, it cannot even materialize properly."

Raiden raised his right eyebrow a little in confusion. He then asked,

"Clarify."

Rather than being given more information, Chifuyu stepped in and ordered,

"Try deploying your IS."

Raiden did as commanded, but the enveloping light around him shattered afterwards and nothing happened. To try it a second time for better luck would be a waste.

"I see."

Knowing what was next, Raiden decided to take off his blindfold that was his IS. Before he did though, he advised to Yamada-sensei and Charlotte.

"You two. Turn away. You don't want to see this."

The two of them were confused by after being given the stare by Chifuyu, they did as ordered. Chifuyu, however, remained and once Raiden took his blindfold off, she got to see the scars of his sliced out eyes.

A massive scar was stretched across the eye line. Raiden's eyes, though sliced, held scars on them and the eyeballs themselves were gray and distorted of color. The mark of the blade that sliced his eyes when he was a child remained, though it was black and scarred heavily.

Chifuyu, seeing this, was given a brief flashback of what she saw eight years ago when she held Raiden for the first time when she rescued him. The memory of seeing those bloodied, slashed out eyes filled her with dread but she kept it inwards. Since that day, it was a memory she would not forget, one that scarred her for life.

After being given Raiden's IS blindfold that was folded neatly, Chifuyu gave Raiden another blindfold cloth that was blue in color. Retying it around his head, Raiden then said,

"Alright you two. You can look now."

Charlotte and Yamada-sensei turned around and looked forwards. Whatever it is that Chifuyu did not want for either of them to see was probably best kept secret.

"Good…Now…the real problem is what will Orimura and the girls find out about it." wondered Chifuyu as she put Raiden's IS cloth in her front pocket of her suit.

"They'll probably freak out…But from a security perspective, I think we should at least inform them, since they are representative candidates." suggested Yamada-sensei.

"No." said Raiden, earning the two teachers' attention. "Informing them is too risky. They will simply squabble over protecting Ichika."

"But we won't be sure unless there is another attempt on his life—"

"Ichika wasn't the target." interrupted Raiden.

An eerie silence loomed over the room before confusion set in. Chifuyu did not know where Raiden was taking this. So, keeping her professional attitude, she asked,

"What do you mean?"

Raiden answered, "Ichika wasn't the target that night. He was simply bait to lure someone out. Me."

"But why you? Why use Orimura-kun to lure you out to be killed?" asked Yamada-sensei.

Raiden thought for a bit before answering. He did not want to spill out his past just yet but he knew that keeping the truth hidden any longer would only result in making things harder for everyone. Especially given that his assassin was Madoka Orimura. Keeping it broad and simple, Raiden answered plainly.

"That assassin that attacked him…I've dealt with someone like her before. She isn't just some ordinary killer. One would usually never use someone as bait to lure out a highly-valued target out in the open like that."

Yamda-sensei did not get it but Chifuyu might have. However, she could not exactly call it irrefutable either. The only answers she would get is from her planned meeting with Miriam Walker tonight. She could only think of so much that she has to do, especially if a part of her past is catching up to her. She groaned silently to herself.

 _Ugh…I'm going to get a headache_

Listening to all this in silence, Charlotte finally spoke up,

"Orimura-sensei, please don't let them know!"

Chifuyu turned and kept her professional stare at Charlotte.

"I'll protect Raiden. And Ichika if possible. It's only right since it's my fault Raiden's unit is damaged…"

"It wasn't your fault, Charlotte. We did not know what kind of prototype technology was in those containers anyway."

"But it is." The French girl insisted to her childhood friend. "Please let me at least act as your guard…I won't be able to sleep if I don't do something…"

Raiden looked back at Charlotte's eyes and saw her determination. She really had come a long way far since that fateful meeting at the park in France all those years ago. Giving up, Raiden gave a smile and patted her head to her pleasure.

 _I guess I have no choice, huh?_

* * *

The first half of the school day ended, and the bell rung, signaling the students to pack up and go for lunch break. Raiden and Ichika were just happily chatting with one another, almost as if what had happened to them never existed. Everyone was informed of what had happened but only knew that the assassin was after Ichika and not Madoka so as to not cause any confusion among the masses.

In the meantime, Charlotte started into her open palms with a serious expression.

 _I have to protect Raiden…I have to take responsibility…_

A sudden, loud voice snapped out of her trance as a magazine was then thrusted onto Ichika's face by Laura.

"Ichika! Which one do you like?"

The contents of the magazine showed female undergarments; specifically, striped ones.

"Wha-"

Houki, Rin, and Cecilia also gathered around with looks of embarrassment on all their faces. Raiden was slightly ajar with his mouth and somewhat surprised at this sudden event that just came out of nowhere.

"Oi, Laura!" said Houki.

"What are you doing sowing that to him all of a sudden?!" shouted Rin.

Cecilia covered Ichika's eyes quickly, who had previously glued his eyes onto the page.

"Ichika-san, close your eyes!"

Laura looked at the trio in confusion, as if what she was doing was an obvious thing. "I'm just trying to find out what boys like. That is all."

"What boys like?" all three asked in unison. Houki then turned her eyes to Raiden, who gave a remote and inscrutable look. Was he not affected by panties in the slightest?

"Clarissa once told me that when a girl is in love, this concept called 'the panty flash event' arises occasionally. It is when a boy accidentally catches a glimpse of her panties. Therefore, you must always arm yourself with panties that you wouldn't mind showing to your person of affection."

"Laura, if I were you, I'd fire that subordinate." advised Raiden which was totally ignored by the German soldier as she spread her arms out grandly.

"And these striped panties are supposedly the absolute best when it comes to boosting your likability!"

"W-Well…the design isn't too bad." admitted Houki.

"That's true…I have the same kind too…" said Rin.

Cecilia meanwhile, went to a corner of the room to make a phone call to her maid.

Ichika quickly stood up in denial,

"No, no, no, that's not how it works!"

"No. I am sure my wife would love these glorious objects of affection, that is the striped panties, and then, his link to me as my bride will be set in stone." Laura seemed sure of it much to everyone's chagrin. She then turned to Charlotte who had been quiet this entire time.

"What kind of underwear do you wear, Charlotte?"

The blond gave a light smile,

"Laura, you're not supposed to talk about stuff like that in front of a boy. Besides, you won't know unless you ask him directly."

"Hmm…I see…" Laura said. Raiden meanwhile picked up the magazine and nonchalantly flipped through the panties. His expression was mostly casual, no perverted intent behind it. And he didn't exactly find anything wrong with men lusting after a woman's panties, but he didn't exactly approve.

Houki, from behind Raiden, asked him,

"Umm, Raiden…"

Raiden turned around.

"I-If you don't mind me asking, what do you like better?"

Raiden immediately answered, "It doesn't matter to me."

Houki wasn't expecting that. Of course she knew her unofficial boyfriend would give that kind of answer. She was about to speak but Raiden was not done.

"However, if I had to choose, probably just plain. The stripes are a bad giveaway."

Houki was surprised. He seemed cool under pressure about a woman's undergarments. Why is that? How can a mature guy like him be so nonchalant when it comes to such indecent things?

"Raiden…" said Charlotte with somewhat of a scary tone. "You seem awfully calm about all this."

Raiden then said, "If there is one thing I learned, it's that everyone has their own tastes. Plus, growing up as a kid, my Mentor was sometimes seen walking in her underwear. She always wore boy shorts."

Raiden could then hear Akane's voice speak to him to which he replied back in his head so as to make sure no one thought he was talking to a ghost. Akane just happened to slap him in the back of the head.

"Panties are for women who attract unwanted attention to them. I'm surprised these girls would go so far."

"Wasn't Miri one of those when you two were kids?" asked Raiden.

"You have no idea, boy." said the blue-haired woman. "I don't have any idea why these girls would get so flustered about all this."

"Says the woman who sometimes walked around the cabin naked." Raiden smirked sarcastically. He then received a slap to the back of his head from his Mentor, who didn't take that comment well.

"One day, when you get up here, I am going to wrestle you to the ground." said Akane.

"Try it and we'll see." said Raiden. He then saw Charlotte leave the classroom in a hurry with an expression of shock on her face, confusing him.

* * *

Charlotte was back in her room, her top drawer open that was full of nothing but her own panties.

"They'll stay on this time!" said Charlotte as she put on a white pair. But as soon as she puts them on, they suddenly vanish into white particles, leaving her without them.

"Again?!" cried the poor French girl as she held her hands to her mouth in embarrassment. "What should I do?!"

A few knocks were heard on her door, snapping her out of her shock.

"Charlotte, you in there?" asked Raiden.

"R-Raiden?!" Charlotte turns her head to the door. "Wh-What is it?"

"Class has already started! I got sent to pick you up."

This shocked Charlotte as she then ran to the door.

"Oh, sorry!"

She closes the door as she exits out before she finds herself with Raiden. She tries to keep her heart rate normal but it doesn't work and neither does her tense breathing. Raiden could only look dumbfounded at her in this weird situation.

"Sorry, Raiden." said Charlotte with a smile as her hands were behind her back.

"Something wrong?" asked Raiden.

"N-Not really." said the fidgety French girl. "It's alright now."

Raiden wasn't convinced. He had a feeling something was wrong but right now, he decides to toss it aside and put school as a priority first.

"I see. Let's hurry back!" said Raiden, with Charlotte right behind him as they jogged back. "Orimura-sensei is already lecturing."

Charlotte pleaded for Raiden to slow down but she was slowing down instead as a wind lifted her skirt and touched her other area. They kept jogging and jogging until Charlotte trips herself and falls on Raiden's back, taking the boy with him.

"Sorry." said Raiden as he tried to get up. "You okay?"

"I-I'm okay!" said Charlotte.

They both land in an awkward position. Raiden was flat on his stomach as Charlotte sat sitting on his head. But the worst thing about it was the fact that with no panties on, she could feel her private area rub against Raiden's head. Raiden could only look straight forward, not knowing what was rubbing against him. For Charlotte though, a great shock swept over her before she partially deployed her IS in her right hand and blindly punched Raiden, knocking the boy backwards as he managed to gracefully land on his feet before clutching his jaw in pain.

"OW! What was that for?!" asked Raiden as he clutched his jaw. But Charlotte only had a red face on herself as her breathing became a little bit ragged because of what she felt.

"How long is this going to last?" asked Charlotte to herself with tears lurking in her eyes.

* * *

The whole day became very awkward for Charlotte. For being a bodyguard to either Raiden or Ichika and going commando had to be one of the most pain-inducing and nerve-wracking experiences of her life. And here she thought going commando for her would never be possible but maybe fate just had to pick something so unfortunate for her. From eating lunch with Houki to playing volleyball with Rin and Cecilia and to carrying boxes with Ichika, Charlotte's day had been nothing but a pure definition of misfortune.

The evening came as the sun began to set over in the horizon. Raiden and Charlotte were on the roof hanging out together. The blind boy had heard all about Charlotte's unfortunate day and had been keeping tabs on her concerning of her weird attitude since the mission at the docks.

"I heard of what had happened to Houki, Cecilia, and Rin regarding Ichika. I feel sorry for them, especially Houki." said Raiden.

"Yeah." Charlotte agreed.

Turns out that the trio partially deployed there IS inside the school hallway and dueled for a little bit to decide who would be Ichika's bodyguard after confirming about what had been going on with Charlotte. Luckily Tatenashi just happened to arrive and reprimand them for swift punishment. Ichika later went back to his room as Charlotte went to go be with Raiden out on the roof.

Silence ensued between the two childhood friends before Raiden broke it off. The two looked to see the sunset over the horizon.

"Hell of a view, huh?" asked Raiden. "I haven't seen anything like that since…"

"Since we were little kids at the park." interrupted Charlotte. Raiden turned to her in surprise.

"I'm surprised you remembered that."

"I've never forgotten." Charlotte said with a smile. "It was a memory I always clung to. Remember when we use to go on the edge of the city and we'd play hide and seek near the woods?"

"How could I forget?" asked Raiden with a smile. "You always knew where to find me where I hid."

"Even from a distance, I knew where you were hiding. Even if it meant you climbed a tree."

The two could not help but laugh. Their memories of their childhood were good ones before tragedy struck. They have both lost someone important to them and have both been through their own hell, with one of them going deeper and deeper. In the end, they had both regained someone they thought lost: each other.

Charlotte's expression then went into one of sadness.

"When I heard of what happened to your family, I was heart-broken, thinking you were dead."

Raiden immediately tensed somewhat as the memories of that horrific day came to him. Luckily, he kept it under control beneath a serious face even as his head drooped a little.

"I thought you had died that day. And then a few years later, my mother passes away before my father finds me and has me spy on you. I thought I had lost all hope when he took me in as an experiment and made me his puppet."

"Charlotte…" said Raiden, catching the French girl's attention. It was then that she was pulled into a hug by the blind boy herself.

Charlotte at first felt shock and awe course through her as a million things instantly coursed into her mind. But, like in the arms of an angel, she felt safe and secured and relaxed. Raiden then spoke.

"Did I not tell you before?" asked Raiden. "No one could have made it this far and well as you. I do not blame you for posing as a boy and secretly spying on me and Ichika for data on our IS. And I am so glad to have reunited with you, even if I nearly forgot who you were. Whatever you need from me, I can provide, even if it makes you selfish. Because in the end, you are someone most precious to me, someone I care for more than a friend. Someone I love."

Charlotte could not help but tear up a little as she wrapped her arms around Raiden. It was then that she made her own confession.

"Raiden, I…I love you, too. Ever since we first met at the park. When I thought you were dead, I lost all hope. But when you came back, so too did my feelings. And I'll never let them go again."

Charlotte could only relax before she and Raiden looked eye to eye, each of them bearing a warm smile. She was then lost in her thoughts.

 _Raiden was always thinking of me. Of what I want. He never did anything wrong in his life. Should I have told him the truth of what had happened? (Shaking her head) No. There's no way I can tell him! If I do, I won't be able to protect him like he has protected me! But he won't hate me either way. And yet…_

Charlotte gripped onto her IS that was her necklace as it glowed green. Flashbacks of her previous life showed when she, as a child, cried after she broke her mother's favorite mirror. Her mother reassured her by patting her on the head, telling her that there is nothing more important than her. Charlotte promises her mother not to lie anymore after her mother told her that she was proud to apologize.

 _Right. There is no way Raiden would hate me because of this. Because he loves me just as I love him. I just need to be honest. I should just be honest with him!_

Raiden and Charlotte's hands wrapped each other's backs as their breathing was heard and felt between them. Their lips nearly closed in on each other. The lion and the canine ready to kiss once more.

"Charlotte!" a voice interrupted the two, prompting the two to break off. Raiden cleared his chest as Charlotte looked away with a mad blush.

 _Wh-What was I about to do?!_

"Oh, Laura, what's up?" asked a stuttering Charlotte as she turned slowly.

Laura then crouched down before lifting Charlotte's skirt from behind, shocking the French girl a little.

"Ah, you _are_ wearing underwear." Laura said as she looked.

"Of course I am!" said Charlotte before she felt something odd, making her confused.

"Underwear?" She then lifted her skirt to see that her panties had indeed returned. Seems as if the quantum shift had died down on her IS.

"You're right! Raiden, look at—"

Charlotte looked to see Raiden with his back turned on the two girls, obvious of what they were talking about and what they were doing and minding his own business as if nothing happened. He did it out of respect of privacy but perhaps the reason for that is not enough to convince his childhood friend turned beloved.

She only had three words to say as she then brought her skirt back down out of embarrassment.

"Raiden, you pervert."

Raiden took a bit of a silence before,

"…No comment."

 **Back at Charlotte and Laura's room when night fell…**

"Your underwear exclusively kept undergoing forced quantum conversion, huh?" asked the one-eyed German.

Charlotte was looking at her orange panties.

"It's been a long day." She said with a sigh.

"You could've worn something that's not recognized as underwear. Like this."

Laura then held up a pair of black bloomers.

"Bloomers?" asked Charlotte before she put her head down in shame. "Why didn't I think of that?"

It was then that Laura just had the audacity to say something outrageous.

"As a French queen once said, 'No panties? Then let them wear bloomers.'"

"She didn't say that!" exclaimed Charlotte. Where the hell did Laura get that kind of information from?

* * *

Roppongi, Tokyo. A district popular for its foreign embassies and with its night life of both locals and foreigners alike. Located in the central part of Tokyo, south of Akasaka and north of Azabu, this place was perfect for someone like Miriam Walker to be in to blend in the environment.

She was at the restaurant called The Hideout, a Japanese and Chinese restaurant located in parts of Roppongi one would not normally look. The restaurant was not that big but not too small either. It did, however, acquire some VIP rooms for reserved guests at night.

Miriam was dressed in her formal outfit that she usually wore: a formal dress for work with a white buttoned up shirt and a black jacket coupled with black heels and black miniskirt. Around her neck was a necklace with teal gemstones.

She acquired reservations for a VIP seat for her and one other person. Miri checked her watch and saw she only had five minutes left before Chifuyu arrived. She took time to look at the restaurant which was mostly decorated in red with a few bits of gold and brown, almost like the colors of China. It was not fancy-like but the theme and atmosphere sure felt like one.

Her VIP seat had pink bed-like curtains decorating in front of it so as to give privacy that were transparent so as to blur their images. The seats were entirely made of leather and the table cloth with the silverware, napkin, and pristine plate were decorated smoothly.

Five minutes in and Miriam saw Chifuyu in her usual work outfit guided by the restaurant manager. She then took her seat opposite of the CIA intelligence woman.

"Miriam Walker. You haven't changed one bit."

"Chifuyu Orimura. It sure has been a long time."

The two of them maintained professional faces but the atmosphere sure felt awkward. It had been more than twenty years since the two of them had seen each other but they were hardly friends. One could say they were acquaintances of a sort but both of them would deny it. If anything, they had only one thing in common: they had to deal with a certain woman in their childhood who was now gone from this world. That woman being a friend to one and a hated rival to the other.

"How many years has it been? 20 or so exactly?" asked Miriam.

"Long enough." Chifuyu said plainly. A small part of her was not really in the mood for becoming friends despite the respect she had for Miri.

"You seem a bit unsettled, though." observed Miriam.

"You always were one to pick up the expression. CIA taught you that much?"

"You know me. I was the one holding Akane's leash, most of the time."

"Even as the two of you applied for the military and the CIA. Why did you two stay together?"

"You do not remember?" asked Miriam as red wine was served. "Akane and I were both orphans, grew up together in an orphanage in America. She was the first person I met and the one I had to watch over a lot."

"Speaking of Akane, is she—"

"She is gone." interrupted Miriam, bringing somewhat of a surprise face to Chifuyu. "An old wound from one of her missions took her life."

Chifuyu could see the small sad smile on Miriam. She seemed to be at peace with herself with her old friend gone as it had been a long time. Tears were probably already shed from that moment. For the Brunhilde though, she could not help but feel a void in her heart, as if a sliver of her, had but died. Despite their frequent fights in their past, Akane and Chifuyu were equals as neither of them had gained the upper hand. She wanted to feel grateful that her old rival is gone, but Chifuyu only felt sadness, emptiness.

"At the time of her passing, Raiden was discovered to be an IS pilot and transferred over to the Academy by your urging."

"And how did you end up with Raiden?" asked the Brunhilde. The timing seemed to have been right as Miriam pulled out a folder with some documents and handed it over to Chifuyu as she took a look.

"Akane was the one who found Raiden and took him in. At the time, the boy was on the very verge of death. Heavily malnourished, loss of blood by the liter, severely dehydrated, and the loss of will to live. Took almost half a year for him to fully recover. Even then though, Akane refused to let him stay in the hospital so she made a deal: in return of me being their supervisor, Akane would take him in and raise him."

Chifuyu flipped through the various classified documents, some of them containing her name when Raiden's family was destroyed, along with the orphanage he stayed at afterwards. There was also his military records for when he was in the United States Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia.

"Still does not really explain what happened to him when he was taken from the orphanage." said Chifuyu. She was then given another folder containing heavily classified work. The title of the folder read something in black bold letters.

"Project Akuruka." Chifuyu repeated the words. "What is it?"

"A cruel human experiment from Phantom Task in an effort to artificially create the first male IS pilot and a supersoldier. Raiden was the only survivor of the project and this explains only a quarter of his past life when he left the orphanage you mentioned."

Chifuyu flipped through the papers yet every one of them contained their own story, each of them bringing a little bit more shock to the Brunhilde. Miriam continued the explanation.

"They used a drug named Hydra 48 and injected it into their test subjects to test its compatibility. Hydra 48, a supersoldier serum in the form of one-micrometer nanomachines, was their own successful drug that was meant to increase the human senses and strengths as well as create and install into the subject's body cybernetics to increase efficiency. Most of the subjects either fell into madness from the effects of the drug or died to quick because their bodies were not compatible with it. If the subject fell into madness, they were tossed into a pit where their minds would rot away and become cannibals, feasting on each other like rabid animals. If they died too quickly, their bodies were simply burned in a crematory."

Chifuyu flipped through the notes and pictures and beheld herself of the horror despite her best efforts to keep a professional face. Photos were shown of the test subjects lying on tables and their bodies cut open along with the results of their maddened state when they cannibalized the other subjects.

"I am sure you have heard of Phantom Task's recent activities." said Miriam as her food was served. Her plate comprised of Hayashi rice containing beef, onions, and button mushrooms, in a thick demi-glace sauce.

Chifuyu's plate was champon with frying pork, seafood and vegetables with lard; a soup made with chicken and pig bones. Ramen noodles made especially for champon are added and then boiled.

"You knew of this?" asked Chifuyu with a hint of glare as it sounded like the CIA had something to hide.

"We had been tracking their movement lately and have already found a pattern in their behavior." said Miriam as she took a sample of her rice.

This intrigued Chifuyu, a small part of her eager to learn more for Raiden's sake. She was all ears open as she ate her champon.

"Oh? And what part is that?"

Miriam wiped her mouth with her napkin and said,

"Phantom Task has one goal: the retrieval of their only successful subject of Project Akuruka. Simply put, the capture of Raiden at all costs by any means necessary."

Chifuyu could only pause. For Phantom Task to go through all the trouble of capturing Raiden made her grip her chopsticks somewhat. It also supported the theory of Ichika's attacker that night when Raiden came to rescue him and how Ichika was only used as the bait and Raiden was the real target.

"But who among Phantom Task would want to have him?" asked Chifuyu.

"Do you remember someone named Konomi Tsuhara?" asked Miriam. Chifuyu then remembered the name. When she returned to the orphanage after retiring from the IS, she went back to the orphanage to find Raiden, only to see the name written on the sign-in sheet. Chifuyu tried her best to look up this Konomi Tsuhara in the database, using every resource including Tabane to find her but she came up empty-handed every time.

"Konomi Tsuhara was just an alias used by a member of Phantom Task, one whose past correlates closely with Raiden's. Her real name is Squall Meusel."

Chifuyu gripped her teeth yet didn't show it. Now she knew why the name never showed up in the databanks. Some other person, a Phantom Task agent no less, just happened to use a fake name and take Raiden away from her. Anger coursed through her as her desire to get revenge to this Squall.

Miriam continued her story, noting of how Chifuyu's expression is changing at its own pace.

"Squall took Raiden in and despite giving him care, food, water, and shelter, he was treated as a pet and play-toy for her. Dressing him up as a girl sometimes and making him sit on her lap, all the while sexually harassing him. She alone trained Raiden in the ways of an assassin after she saw his potential to be a killer and it is the reason why Phantom Task wants Raiden back. Those orders come directly from Squall herself as she believes that Raiden is hers and hers alone."

"You seem to know a lot about her." noted Chifuyu, thinking that Miriam had a clash with her in the past, though not directly.

"Akane and Squall clashed once." Miriam said after she put her spoon down, finishing her meal. "Akane was close to bringing Squall on the edge of defeat when Squall grabbed a hidden, poisoned knife and stabbed her in the heart. Akane thought she had completely disarmed her opponent, hence why she let her guard down. From then on, Akane pursued Squall, but the poison took her life. Last time she was on a trail was when she found Raiden underneath Squall's mansion in one of her dungeon cells."

Chifuyu was a little shocked. Everything had now come full circle and the void in her heart only grew more and more. Not only was her hated rival dead but also the fact that Raiden went through his own version of hell as a child, the most stunning one of all was his sexual harassment and so-called care by Squall. And yet, Raiden seemed to have not been affected by it in the present day. Either he still is or has already moved on past it.

Dinner was already over as dessert came in the form of mochi ice cream. It came in various colors of green for green tea, white for vanilla, and pink for strawberry.

"This is what I do not understand." said Chifuyu. "Why would Raiden care so much for Akane despite him becoming just like her?"

Miriam then explained, "A lot of Akane's values and influence were put into Raiden while growing up under her care. I will admit, I did find some of them to be ridiculous. But Akane was Akane and if there was one thing I learned from her, it is that there cannot be two Akane Fujimoto's in the world Tabane created. In short, I doubt Raiden is becoming like her but he still clings onto her teachings."

This did not really satisfy Chifuyu, though, as a little bit of anger from her memories coursed in her.

"All Akane ever did was fling insults and get into fights."

"Not without a reason though. We both know that from personal experience." reminded Miriam. "She was a problem child after all but she still did care for Raiden as Raiden did the same. She was probably the only parent Raiden ever admired."

She was right. Akane did not fight without a reason and was never one to cause chaos just for fun. But her violent nature did tend to get the better of her as she always spoke with fists rather than words.

"That is also probably why Raiden slapped you for insulting her."

Chifuyu touched her face lightly, still feeling the scar on her cheek just from that slap. A small part of her admitted that what she did was wrong as her bantering went a little too far as her past life caught up with her in that moment.

Miriam, after stamping the check bill and giving it to the waitress, prepared to leave as it was getting late.

"I have to get going. I will leave the documents with you, along with a final note."

This made Chifuyu look up and stare at her old acquaintance, her ears open and mind empty to listen to this advice she supposedly had. Whatever advice it is, Chifuyu may wanted to hear it out.

"We both may have had issues with Akane in the past but insulting about her in front of the child she took care of for six years can have an effect on him as you well know. I'd advise not to make him angry again, unless you want your past fights with her to get the better of you."

This felt more like a warning or an insult than an advice to Chifuyu but she did not complain. With that said though, Miriam departed from the restaurant and went back into her green corvette that she parked in the parking lot before driving off into the late night.

Chifuyu was left alone once Miriam left. She had a lot to think about and for once, heeded Miriam's advice. She needed to make up with the boy she thought lost forever but for right now, she needed to take in all she had learned from the CIA intelligence officer.

To ease herself of the stress, she finished her last cup of red wine from her glass.

* * *

Raiden sat alone in his room and with only one light on, he was drinking some saké. Tatenashi said she would come back to their room late due to some work she had with the Student Council. This was perfect for Raiden as he kept refilling his cup with saké while holding his liquor.

In his mind, there were only questions but on his face there was regret. Regret for what he had said to Chifuyu.

 _You have no idea what she has done for me….unlike you._

Raiden kept hearing those words over and over and drank a cup of saké down in an effort to get rid of the memory. How he is not drunk as of yet is unknown. To ensure that the room was not entirely silent, he put on some nice, gentle, and slow music. Mostly piano but it was enough to give a sense of calmness in his soul. ( **For reference, copy and paste onto YouTube** **うたわれるもの フミルィル or go onto iTunes Store and look up on search bar Aquaplus, click on Utawarerumono Chiriyukumonoheno Komoruita Original Soundtrack and click on Fumiril** )

He heard the door to his room open and then turned his. Raiden turned, thinking of it to be Tatenashi, but it was Houki instead, looking on with some concern.

"Raiden."

"Houki. You need something?"

Houki closed the door before sitting across from Raiden with the other chair. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Raiden was silent for a few seconds before he said "Maybe." He poured another cup of saké and drank it all in one gulp. Houki wondered how many shots he had since he had gotten back to his room for the night.

"Um, let me pour for you." said Houki as she held out the bottle of saké.

"Hmm? Ah. Thank you."

Raiden watches as Houki pours him a glass before he took a swing of saké, drowning it one gulp. She looked over to the side and saw a couple extra bottles that were empty. She then realized that her crush had been drinking a lot yet he wasn't somehow drunk despite the smell in the air. However, to drink two bottles of saké meant that something was not right with Raiden and not once did she see him in a depressed mood that would escalate into this situation. She wanted to speak out her mind of what he was doing but out-bursting in front of him would just be a waste.

Raiden reached for another from the bottle, pouring in the last contents. He was about to take another gulp until he felt a hand stop him. He looked to see Houki who had a sad face, seeing that what he was doing was hurting her.

Raiden, however, ignored it somewhat, trying to get over his guilt as he attempted to drink but to his surprise, Houki was holding him back. He looked to see her hurtful expression and a few tears starting to leak. Affected by this, Raiden put his cup down. He then asked a question related to his struggling mind.

"Houki, you never had a good relationship with your sister, right?"

That question made Houki stutter in confusion before she turned her head away not in response to Raiden's question but rather of the memories of her past regarding her sister.

"I…No, we didn't. Not since she created the IS." Houki trailed off a little in her voice. Although Raiden knew that her relationship with Tabane was strained, he needed to press the question.

"I see." The blind lion said. "Then tell me, what was it like beforehand?"

That made Houki stutter for a bit. She doesn't really talk much of her past as there was not much to say about it before the invention of the IS and of being good friends to Ichika since childhood.

"Well, she was just like what any other older sister would be. She still was a genius but beyond that, there is not much to say."

"I see." said Raiden. He then stopped the questioning as he did not want to intrude further into her memories.

"Why are you asking me of this?" asked a curious Houki.

Raiden sighed. His plan had worked but now came the difficult part: confessing what he did to Chifuyu, his "older" sister.

"You know of my close relationship with Chifuyu and of how she found me, right? I'm sure she told you her story."

Houki recalled that last semester back on the beach trip, when she saw Raiden sleeping on Chifuyu's lap. She could still remember Chifuyu's words from before, along with the tone of her voice.

 _I made a mistake leaving him behind, even if I had no say in the matter. Now…I want to help him and protect him, just like I have done with Ichika. He's like another little brother to me, but one more vulnerable and more hurt. He may not be my little brother in blood, but even a sister has to care for her surrogate kin_

Houki could at least relate. It seems that her sister Tabane still does care for her little sister but does so in a way that does not make her vulnerable and weak and also in a very annoyingly method that makes Houki want to smack her a thousand times. But her sister always kept that dorky smile on her, as if nothing was wrong with her. Tabane was never one to let out her personal feelings as she was always busy tinkering with her toys.

Houki then fearfully asked this next question to Raiden.

"Did you, by any chance, have an argument with her?"

Raiden took note of her sharp mind, admiring how she can piece the puzzle pieces together and come up with the right question. He then answered in full honesty,

"Yes. One that…ended with me slapping her on the cheek for insulting my Mentor."

Houki gasped. To think her own teacher, the Brunhilde herself, would take a slap to the cheek for an argument with Raiden. If she were to witness that, then she could not believe what kind of future events would follow afterwards, one that could also end with an argument between her and Raiden for what he had done. Now she understood why Raiden had been drinking a lot lately.

Houki was not one for comforting words but she tried her best to give some anyway.

"I-I'm sure it was an accident. I don't think she meant to take it that far…"

"You don't understand. My Mentor and Chifuyu were old rivals from their childhood."

"What?" asked Houki.

"It turns out that both Chifuyu and my Mentor knew each other before in the past. And they did not have a friendly relationship as they always fought one another. And yet, Chifuyu thought that I am becoming just like her: arrogant, reckless, vengeful, violent…"

Houki tried to justify Chifuyu's actions with the Brunhilde's story from eight years ago.

"Orimura-sensei is just looking out for you. She just wants to spend time to get to know you and where you had been when you were gone."

"She never made any mistake. She had to turn me in to the orphanage or her career would've been lost. Besides, there would've been no way she could watch over two brothers. And for her to just insult my Mentor out of the blue like that..."

There wasn't anything for Houki to say in response to it. Justifying Chifuyu's actions more and more would be pointless as it would get the argument nowhere but escalate further into madness. Instead, she remained silent, before she saw Raiden lift his right hand to his face and stare at it.

"Slapping Chifuyu like that was…pathetic of me. Little siblings should never do that to their sisters. I cannot imagine you doing that to Tabane and leaving her scarred."

It was not in Raiden's intent to harm her in any way as he was just pointing out facts. Houki took it to a grain of salt that, while her sister had indeed "mess up" portions of her life, it didn't mean that slapping the Rabbit on the cheek was the right answer. She could then see Raiden grip his right hand hard, the feeling of regret rushing through his chest as his hand shook. Having seen enough of his suffering, Houki placed a hand over his fist and opened it gently and slowly.

Raiden felt the warmth of Houki's soft hand ease his tension as his hand loosened little by little before it was open and grasped by Houki's. She then gave some words of comfort after thinking for a while, speaking directly from her heart.

"If Tabane were to do something that would ruin my life, I will admit that it is tempting to slap her. But even then, I would immediately regret it. I do not blame you for looking after your past Mentor and we both agree that what you did was wrong. But that doesn't necessarily mean a sibling relationship between you and Orimura-sensei is broken forever. Every relationship like that needs boundaries."

She then held his hand close to her heart.

"Remember what I said before you took that hit from that IS last semester in your duel with Rin?"

Raiden immediately remembered and responded, "If I were a man, I could defeat that thing."

Houki smiled gently and gave some friendly advice. "If you are still the same man I remember, you would go and ask for forgiveness from Orimura-sensei and make up for it. Take your time though, and do it when you feel ready."

Raiden kept those words to heart. He wondered if the same could be said for Houki's relationship with Tabane. But the two are complete opposites from one another and have hardly seen each other for years aside from that beach trip last semester. Is it possible for the Rabbit and the vixen to make up for their estranged relationship or will it turn sour forever because of the Rabbit's embarrassing and crazy antics?

The long, comforting talk make Houki a bit exhausted and thirsty. She pulled out some cold water from the cupboard, which contained a lot of water bottles for Raiden, most likely for after he takes his morning runs. However, Raiden, in his tipsy stupor of sorts, asked something of Houki as her hand was near his cup of saké.

"Houki, how about you try some?"

Houki was startled and a bit surprised. "Eh? B-But…I don't handle alcohol very well…"

"But you don't dislike it, right?"

"W-Well, it's just…I've never had it before."

Raiden then pulls out a tiny cup and fills it with the saké from his cup before holding it out to Houki. "Here, if it's just for a little bit, it's okay, right?"

"Um…Um…Then, just a little." Houki then takes the small cup and brings it to her lips as if only licking the inside. Her cheeks flush red after one sip.

"Ah~, my face is already red…"

A small brief of silence filled the air before Raiden broke it. "Thank you…"

"…Eh? For what?"

"Thanks to you, I haven't lost sight of myself."

Houki then begins to stutter in embarrassment and say "Um…uh…I, you, shouldn't thank…me…for…"

"No…I really am grateful."

"Raiden…" Houki's cheeks become more and more red in embarrassment. "I…really didn't…"

Fidgeting a little, Houki empties her cup to hide her embarrassment. Raiden's blood begins to slightly boil at the sight of this young and beautiful girl before him.

 _Right…I really want this girl and I to…_

"Houki," asked Raiden. "Will you keep me company in bed for tonight?"

Houki, shocked at this sudden question, chokes up her saké and begins to cough up. The saké she gulped seems to be stuck up her nose and in her throat. Raiden tends to her well-being before she is able to breathe normally.

"Are, are you okay?"

"Wha…what are…you saying so suddenly~?" asked Houki.

"I just thought it would be better to say it directly…" explained Raiden.

"It was too direct." complained Houki. "You should have…let this mood…go on…"

Houki begins to wobble, to her confusion, as she tries to stand up, but she sways and falls back down.

"What's wrong?" asked Raiden.

A tipsy Houki then said "I can't seem…to stand…" Her speech became a little weird and she couldn't speak properly as her face becomes an even darker shade of red. Indeed, whenever she tries to move, her legs don't cooperate.

 _Drinking it all at once and coughing must have made her get drunk all at once._

"You're getting a little drunk. You don't have to push yourself, you know." said Raiden.

"I'm not drunk, you nyow?" asked a slurry Houki.

 _That flushed face and manner of speaking isn't very convincing._

"That's what all drunk people say." exclaimed Raiden. "Oh well. Up you go."

Houki was then carried to Raiden's bed to her surprise as she yelped yet the moonlight shined bright tonight and illuminated Houki's figure. She blushed hard since Raiden was on top of her looking down. Houki's moist eyes staring up at his scarred eyes covered by his blindfold. Then, giving in to the beauty and radiance Houki had in the light, Raiden leaned forward and met her lips with his.

She was shocked, and that doesn't even come close to what just went through her mind. In an instant, it became empty of all thought and emotion before it was filled with something indescribable. A feeling of warmth that slowly emerged as it took its time. Houki accepted the kiss and slowly kissed back as Raiden was fully on top of her and intertwined her tongue with his. She moaned loudly at first, surprised that her tongue had been contacted by another before she hesitantly responded back.

Slowly but surely, Raiden started to remove her clothes, starting with her shirt when he unbuttoned it. Houki protested this and tried to call it out but it only meant that she wanted it taken off. She was just embarrassed to do so. Next came her skirt to which Raiden gently stroked her back thigh, to her pleasure as the feeling coursed up her spine naturally. Then, after unzipping it, Raiden slowly took it off her legs.

Houki's body acted on instinct, prompting her remove Raiden's shirt, starting from the bottom before she took it off. She stroked the pectoral muscles and the abdominal region, tracing whatever scars she could find before she slowly moved her hands to the back, which excited her the most. In the back of her mind, she was thrilled; the smell of the lion's deodorant came up her nose, the contact of her skin with Raiden's made her arms wrap themselves at the back, and the kissing of her neck prompted her to bite her own lower lips and Raiden's shoulder of the ecstasy.

As her clothes were taken off, all that was left were her bra and panties which Raiden began to massage that under the bra while also removing his own pants before only his undergarments shown on his lower body remained. After a few moments of fondling, Houki removed her bra and, using one arm, tossed aside it aside while embarrassingly covering her chest with the other. Raiden gently removed it and gently and slowly fondled them before purring at the crook of it.

"Your breasts, Houki…soft as pillows." commented Raiden. Houki instantly blushed and responded,

"B-Baka. Don't say that. It's…" But she was caught off as pinched one of her nipples, earning a moan.

Raiden then decided, acting like a baby of sorts, to suck on her breasts. Given that they were the area of arousal for her, Houki immediately arched her back as Raiden switched from one breast to another. He could feel the nipples opening up and then, he uses his teeth to lightly bite at the tip. He then felt a milky substance spray into his mouth, feeding him and nurturing his stomach as it was being swallowed. Houki was aghast and could feel her own orbs being sucked on, acting as if Raiden's mouth was a pump.

 _My…my breasts. Sucked on by Raiden. How did…How does he know where I'm most weak at?_

As Houki moaned at this new experience, she just had an urge to flip Raiden over and grind herself against him. However, Raiden began to remove the panties and Houki tried to stop him but failed. Raiden then gently massaged her lower front and Houki completely arched back at this. He also purred and gave light pecks upon her neck and breasts which the latter were fully uncovered. Houki wanted to stop but knew she couldn't and, because of her love for the blind boy, she decided to give in.

 _What am I doing? My body is liking this but my mind is telling me to stop. Should I…No. I shouldn't. Not after all this._

Her lower front was getting wetter and then, Raiden decide to bury himself into it along with bringing a couple of fingers into it. Houki was moaning louder and louder and attempted to lower it down by biting on her left index finger but that only helped a little. She could feel the blind lion's tongue inside of her, feeling her walls contract every time they were thrusted by the tongue. It was then that she reached her climax and gave her loudest moan yet. Her body was filled with sweat as the hot air took over the room and her breathing could be seen as steam coming out of her mouth as she panted.

But there is that saying: Payback is a bitch!

Flipping Raiden over, Houki was now on top of him. The pleasure took control of her body and mind as did the alcohol. She wasn't even thinking of what she was doing anymore and just let everything play out. Kissing the lion with exquisite passion, she kissed lower and lower, leaving marks over his chest. By the time she made it to the hips, she beheld her prize.

A rod of flesh beheld her as she greedily grasped it in her hands. It was much bigger than she initially thought or saw with her eyes upon viewing it. But it didn't matter as she began to lick the tip and shaft of the rod eagerly. A few bits of clear stuff began to gather at the tip, which made contact to her tongue. The taste of the first time was beautiful and sweet and then, she decided to do what she would normally never do.

She engulfed the entire thing into her mouth, muffling a loud moan in the process. It was big, and she struggled even with the tip of it in her mouth. But slowly, inch by inch, she was able to at least get half of it in of her, with an inch of it in her throat. She liked this and she wanted this for real.

Houki used her tongue to lick and suck the tip of the head as she worked her way down to the shaft like a lollipop, enjoying the heat it emitted and the scent of the lion. Houki kissed the tip as Raiden untied Houki's ribbon to let her natural long black hair flow down. Houki held the orbs with her right hand, and licked them as she engulfed them. Raiden gave off grunts like a lion with the orbs being played at before Houki decided to do what she would normally never do.

Raiden felt the warmth and stickiness, yet somewhat smooth between the walls as he went inside of her mouth. A great wave of pleasure swept over him as he gripped his hands into fists with his little vixen playing with him. He could feel the pressure build up, prompting him to use his right hand to push Houki deeper. The girl was caught off-guard and struggled as she muffled a great moan of pain and pleasure, but she allowed him to proceed.

The release coming up, Raiden pushed his deepest as did Houki and Raiden let off a great roar as he felt the essence within him leave and fill up Houki's stomach. Greedily, she consumed much of it as a small strand was left hanging the side of her mouth right after she let go. Houki panted greatly as she crawled up to Raiden seductively and kissed him, giving him a taste of what she described as wonderful.

Raiden was not done however as he flipped Houki over and decided to spread her legs apart with the intent to enter into it. He takes off his undergarment and proceeds to enter into Houki, who gives a slight nod that he can proceed. But as a means of teasing, Raiden decides to have a bit of fun. Letting his rod rub her womanhood slowly sent shivers to Houki's spine as the pleasure drowned her. But the tension was building as was the ecstasy.

The two looked at each other in the eyes and Houki gave a slight nod to Raiden, prompting him to proceed as he decided to push in.

Entering through her, Raiden struggled a bit as the walls were closed firmly shut but he was more determined to push through. Houki felt her hymen break given that she was a virgin and this was her first time and seemed to have elicit a few yelps of pain that soon turned into pleasure. Houki only felt pain but grew comfortable over it quickly until Raiden was fully inside of her, her legs instantly wrapping themselves around his hips. It took a lot of effort on both of their parts as their energy was nearly drained just to get this far.

"I…I can feel…" Houki was stuttering to say out of pleasure. "I can feel Raiden…inside of me."

Raiden began to gently pump into her slowly, to make sure Houki grew comfortable at first. It went on for a few minutes but gradually, Houki showed signs of wanting more. Her body language of wanting more was obviously shown despite not speaking. She wrapped her arms around Raiden's neck and pulled him in for a brief, passionate kiss before she gasped to get some air, a strand of saliva leaving her lips.

 _Ahh! Raiden, more. Ahhh, Ohh. I want more._

Raiden picked up the speed bit by bit. Houki wrapped her legs around Raiden's lower half tightly, not wanting to exit out of him yet. Her thoughts and feelings went haywire all over as she felt the rod within her going in and out, staying in contact with her walls and the tip of it nearly in her womb. In response, her hips started to move on their own, getting into the rhythm of Raiden's as he pumped in and out. Wet, slapping noises were heard all over as Raiden increased in speed before an orgasm took over Houki.

"D-Don't…Don't stop…!" Houki yelled. It was at least not loud enough for outside ears to hear. "More, Raiden. Give me more!"

Houki moaned louder and louder as her orgasms continued nonstop, along with the fluids that came with it. It was then that she decided to have a bit of fun on her own. She flipped Raiden over and began to move her hips up and down slowly yet vigorously, with Raiden's hands on her hips helping with her movement. Raiden got a clear view of a naked Houki on top of him and it was as beautiful as the moonlight shined upon it. Her skin reflected the moonlight like that of a goddess as she moved herself along Raiden's lap. It was an image that remained a permanent mark in Raiden's head.

Raiden then sat up and hugged Houki while also sucking on her breasts and wrapping his left hand around her back and getting tangled in her hair while his right caressed her buttocks. Raiden lightly bit the erected nipples as could feel the tiny yet exquisite milky-like substance coming out of it. The taste was like honey, mixed in with some cinnamon if not a bit of saké.

Houki kept on moaning before grabbing Raiden's head with her hands and plunged her tongue into him, dueling with his tongue with some saliva spilling over their mouths. Her breasts then squirted all on her own as the milk flew all over Raiden's chest.

"Houki, I'm about to-"

Houki responded in her drunkard state of ecstasy "M-Me too."

The two of them then reached their climax as Raiden pumped himself up into Houki and the girl slammed herself down onto him. Raiden released all of his essence and gave a loud moan as did Houki, arching her back in the process as she felt the warmth enter through her womb, filling her up completely as a small trickle slowly poured out. The two had been one and made love.

After emptying himself, Raiden fell back with Houki landing on top of him. Panting hard yet sweating somewhat, the two met with a kiss before Raiden pulled the blanket over them. They cuddled their bodies together in silence, each of them smiling and embracing each other and giving light pecks here and there. Houki could smell the sweat of the lion, a smell that she found so addicting, much more than the deodorant.

"Raiden..." said Houki to break the silence.

"Hmm?"

"I just want to say, that no matter what happens..." Houki trailed off as she struggled to find the words correctly and that she had a small blush on her face.

"Yes?" asked Raiden.

"I...I-" Houki kept struggling to say those three magic words, leaving Raiden confused.

"Ah. Never mind. I will always believe in you and support you. Please don't forget that…" Houki finished up though in her mind she cursed herself for this. She then leans her head against Raiden's chest, hearing his heartbeat.

"I…will always…" Houki said. "No matter what…always…Always…"

Raiden was left confused but gave a smile of comfort, kissing Houki before the two of them fell asleep in the bed within the moonlight. Their hands grasped each other, fingers interlocked, and the vixen laid her head at the crook of the lion's neck.


	22. Chapter 21: Date Time

**CHAPTER 21**

The sunrise comes up in Raiden's room as Houki wakes up from her slumber. With groggy eyes, she rubs them to adjust her sight before she sits up while still holding onto the blanket and finds herself in an unfamiliar place. That brief bit of shock though was relieved when she remembered last night. A night that was forever engraved into her mind.

She could still feel the effects of what happened clearly but they were not enough to impose on her. In fact, she enjoyed last night and embraced the feeling with a smile on her lips. She brought her right hand over to her belly, remembering the warmth she felt when Raiden gave everything to her. Oh how she could feel it again when he released it into her willingly.

Houki looked over to her right and saw Raiden was still asleep on his back. Last night must've exhausted him, either from their love-making or of the alcohol he had beforehand. He slept longer than usual as did Houki, for both of them had morning workout routines on two separate times every day. But given the circumstances of last night, they'd probably get a free pass.

Houki returned back to bed, cuddling up with the blind lion as he slept soundly. However, just the feeling of his strong pectoral muscles was enough for Houki to get a bit aroused and her mind decided to get kinky.

Stroking the lion's muscles, she found herself grinding a bit on his leg, wrapping it around with hers. However, her leg also hit something else: another leg. It was smooth and not a little hairy unlike Raiden's. The feeling of it was like that of her leg but a little more slimmer. Houki thought of it to be her other leg but the feelings were not the same.

It was then that Houki could smell another scent, that of someone else. She thought it was just her nose acting weird and that it was her scent but it wasn't. This was an odd smell, like the smell of the ocean and strawberries.

"Nyaa~~"

Houki heard a noise from under the bedsheets. As she looked under, what she saw widened her eyes and dropped her jaw. Tatenashi Sarashiki was sleeping with Raiden, naked as she rubbed herself against Raiden's other half of his chest.

Shock coursed rapidly into Houki as she just stared before the sun's rays hit Tatenashi's eyes, prompting her to wake up as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. Once they were adjusted, Houki was still in shock and awe.

"Mmm, morning already?" asked Tatenashi. She saw Houki still in shock and asked, "Houki-chan, did you get some good sleep?"

Houki could not answer as her jaw was still on the ground. She turned slowly to her right to see Raiden still asleep and it was then that anger began to build up inside of her. Tatenashi, fully awake, caught of this and drew her final card.

"So, did you two have fun last night?"

That made Houki mad enough to take out her shinai and try to strike at Tatenashi but the blue cat jumped and scurried away into a hiding spot Houki knew not of. She was frustrated that the cat was gone but she then heard a groan as Raiden woke and sat up.

"Mmm, morning already? What's with all the ruckus?"

Houki then turned to Raiden and with a shinai in her hands, she raised it over to her head, to Raiden's confusion. She then exclaimed,

"Raiden, you pervert!"

Screams were heard as Raiden yelled in pain from the hard bamboo sword that his beloved vixen inflicted. And for the next few minutes, the sores were still fresh.

* * *

 **OP song: Suara – Hikari (For reference, look up on YouTube Utawarerumono Futari no Hakuoro trailer)**

 **Kimi e no omoi wasurenai you ni** (The iron tessen descends onto the screen unfolded.)

 **mune fukaku kizamikomu kara** (Raiden appears in the background and grabs the tessen out of the air before two skeletal wings adorned with metal feathers, like his IS, appear from behind him. He takes off in flight as the feathers fly off.)

(Opening title is introduced as Infinite Stratos 2)

 **Arifureta hibi wo tobikoete yukeru** (Houki watches from the balcony of the IS Academy the sunrise before a gentle wind blows her hair.)

 **habataku yuuki wo motteru** (The sun's ray hits her eyes before she adjusts her sight while wiping a few tears away)

 **Mada minu sekai ni tobidashite yukeba** (Chifuyu drives a Black Kawasaki Ninja 300 ABS Sports Motorbike down a road at night as Tabane appears at her side before flying off into the moon with a set of holographic butterfly wings)

 **nanika ga kitto matteiru** (Houki, in her IS Akatsubaki, faces forward as her hair is blown by the wind)

 **Tamerau hodo no kizu wo oottemo** (A blue meteor-like object falls to the ground before revealing Tatenashi in her IS, Mysterious Lady, as she twirls her spear)

 **akiramenaide subete ukeireyou** (Kanzashi Sarashiki appears in a holographic world in her IS, Uchigane Nishiki, while holographic data surrounds her)

 **Kimi e no omoi wasurenai you ni** (Camera zooms down to a battlefield just beginning between IS Golems and the gang. Laura is the first to attack as she descends and slices a Golem with her wrist blades before using her cables followed by her rail gun. Rin parries a Golem with her Souten Getsu before taking off its head in a spin)

 **mune no naka fukaku kizamitsukeru** (Ichika appears to take out one Golem before dismantling another. The next scene cuts to Charlotte and Cecilia prepping their sniper rifles to fire.)

 **mezasu mirai wo yasashiku terashite** (Raiden and Madoka, without their IS, engage in a close quarters weapon combat, Raiden using his tessen and Madoka using a Wakizashi. After a couple of hits, Raiden is thrown high into the air from another hit from Madoka before he backflips and deploys his IS and fires his lascannons at Madoka. Madoka, in turn, dodges while activating her IS, Black Knight, and flies up to Raiden to engage him again.)

 **hikari hanatsu hoshi no you ni** (Madoka and Raiden are engulfed in a massive explosion in the form of a pillar of fire. At a volcanic place of sorts, the two sides of Lion Heart are shown before Raiden is engulfed in a massive pillar of energy, unleashing everything before a shadowy silhouette of Lion Heart's true form is shown briefly.)

(Miriam Walker is shown in front of the CIA headquarters building in Washington DC as the camera moves upwards. The spirit of Akane Fujimoto is shown in heaven, watching from a hill adorned with Cherry Blossoms as the wind blows her hair, with a cigarette in her mouth. Squall Meusel is shown in her bath robe sitting on the edge of her bed smirking at the camera, with Autumn sleeping naked in the background. Tabane is shown at the top of the stairs, her outfit stained with blood and her eyes the color of bright glowing blue, with a room set on fire as she gives a cold and emotionless look. The camera zooms in to a dirt mound inside a mountain, where inside lies a throne made of stone and surrounded in crystal before it shows a little wolf cub sleeping on the throne's seat. Raiden is shown next as he turns around with his tessen while unfolding it before folding it back in and the screen turns to white.)

* * *

After the hellish debacle, the location changed to the first-year student cafeteria. Having been released from the calamity just now, Raiden was eating a slightly light breakfast. On a side note, Tatenashi's sitting beside him, and Houki's sitting opposite of him.

Raiden ordered a natto and grilled fish set, Tatenashi chose bread, corn soup and chicken salad. As for Houki, she chose a normal Japanese set.

"Hm? Do you want to eat it, Aruji-sama?"

Having noticed his stare, Tatenashi added 'I'll share some with you' with a seductive tone and stance and used her mouth to pick the bread up. Raiden was, if one could say, amused and allured.

"Hm...what's wrong? You can bite it, you know?"

"It sounds like you want something out of this." Raiden responded, which given of her nature, Tatenashi gave a suggestion.

"Hmm? I have some licorice with me and you and I can have one end and meet in the middle."

The moment she said that, Houki forcefully slammed onto the table.

"Can you please be more quiet when eating...?"

Her lips are twitching, giving a terrifying smile.

"Fuu... are you jealous?" asked the smirking cat.

"What?" asked a stuttering Houki.

"You're envious because you wanted to have him all to yourself the whole morning, no?"

"Wh-I-I…Urgh!"

After drinking a large gulp of miso soup, Houki reaches out.

"Let me tell you something. Raiden said this himself." said Tatenashi,

Tatenashi, who stuffed a large amount of chicken salad into her mouth, swallowed it before saying.

"Raiden likes sexy and dignified girls, you know."

Facing Tatenashi who said that without any care, Houki revealed a mystified look.

Then, she swallows the miso soup in her mouth and then sits down. After that, she keeps a serene expression on her face as she eats her breakfast. Maybe she's mindful of the "dignified" part, but the sexy part? That sent a lot of red to her face. The amount of food she picked up is a lot less than usual. Perhaps she thinks Raiden likes to see her naked or in a sexy bikini or something.

 _But, Houki's really a beauty when she can remain serene like this..._ thought Raiden as he looked at the vixen.

Due to her daily training, her back's normally straight, and she doesn't have any additional fat on her arms and legs. The fingers that are holding the chopsticks are exceptionally pretty and her skillful use of the chopsticks has the elegance of a pianist.

"I…need to get going. Have to do my Kendo training." said Houki as she left. Raiden was about to stop her but felt that he'd be making it worse. He could tell that Houki needed to vent a little steam. Perhaps Kendo was the way to go.

Tatenashi could tell that she was jealous and with that in mind, she began to formulate a plan for the future. She then decided to cling to Raiden's arm, with it between her breasts.

Raiden then noticed something in Tatenashi's sleeve that fell out of her pocket unbeknownst to herself. It was a picture of a girl who had the same eye color and hair color as her but with glasses.

"Who's this?" asked Raiden as he picked up the photo.

"Haa. That's my little sister. Her name's Sarashiki Kanzashi."

After saying that, she looked over his shoulder over at the photo. The girl in the photo seems to be a little shady. Raiden could not help but feel a little intrigued.

 _Tatenashi's sister…but she looks a little-_

"Just some words beforehand...I hope that you don't reveal that I said this..."

Tatenashi explained this first. It's hard to imagine that she would usually say this.

"My sister, she's...a little passive, or rather..."

She seemed to be choosing her words. She somewhat tightened her grip over Raiden's arm to which he placed a hand over hers.

"Someone gloomy."

"Really?" asked Raiden.

"But she really has talent. She's a Personal IS pilot, but—" She veered off on her sentence at the end.

"But?"

Tatenashi sighed heavily. "She hasn't gotten her unit yet."

"Which means that, even though she's a Representative Cadet of Japan, her personal unit wasn't complete, so she didn't get one." finished up Raiden. But he then asked one question.

"But why would she not get one? Why the delay?"

"Ichika was the one who caused that."

"What?" asked a surprised Raiden. Why did Ichika's name pop out suddenly? What did he have to do with it?

"Kanzashi-chan's IS developer was from Kuramochi Machinery Development, which means..."

"It's the same place as where Byakushiki was born...right?" confirmed Raiden.

"Yes. And because all the manpower was sent to develop Byakushiki, it's still incomplete now."

"I see..."

"So! That's why it's all Ichika's fault!"

"And now her personal IS that she was supposed to get is scrapped."

"Is that so? Class 4's personal IS pilot would always take a break every time when there was a need for a Personal IS. She's a cadet without a personal IS; that's something humiliating."

"And I take it you want Ichika to correct his 'mistake'?" asked a curious Raiden, earning a small smirk from the blue cat as she got closer to sitting on his lap.

"It's like this. We will be having a mixed-year tag-team tournament next time to improve the ability of all Personal IS pilots. I want my sister to be a part of it and I figured Ichika would be perfect for the job."

"Is that so?"

Raiden could then see Tatenashi tighten her grip even more before she wrapped her arms around his neck. She then shifted herself onto Raiden, to which Raiden noticed her vulnerable expression. He had seen this before whenever he was injured and hospitalized. But this was different for rather than care for him, it seems she was being hurt personally by something else.

He wrapped his right arm around Tatenashi's waist and brought her close to him. Their foreheads came together for care and Raiden could see a tiny tear forming in her right eye.

"Hey. What's wrong? Talk to me."

Tatenashi could not hide from that caring expression of Raiden despite his blindfold hiding his eye expression. But she could tell by his grip and voice that he was worried for her, another expression of his love for the blue cat.

"I-if possible...please don't mention my name if you ever meet her."

"Why?" asked a curious Raiden.

"That kid...it seems that she has an inferiority complex towards me...I guess..."

Tatenashi said that with an ambiguous tone. Seeing her like this, Raiden can tell that the sisters don't really get along well.

"You're not on a good relationship with your little sister...or something like that?"

"Uu..."

Seeing Tatenashi lower her head dejected like this, Raiden started to confirm that his thoughts weren't wrong. He wrapped his arms around his blue cat for comfort as she rested her head on his neck, letting her shed a few tiny tears on his trench coat.

 _These sisters aren't getting along. The elder sister trying to improve herself, and a resistant little sister...thinking about this, I can only think of another two people._

It did not take long for him to think of another pair.

 _Houki and Tabane are like that too..._

Tabane already prepared the personal unit for Houki, yet Houki still remained stubborn and distant over her older sister. It was not so much of inferiority complex but rather of something different, something more exasperating. Ever since then, Tabane never showed up. Most likely, it's like that now as well.

"Then I'll do what I can to act as natural as possible and interact with her if I ever see her."

"Mn, please. Also, that kid's somewhat hard to get along, so be careful with your words."

"I will."

To prove his promise, both he and Tatenashi give a quick kiss on each other's lips. It brought some color back to Tatenashi's face, along with a smile that eased Raiden.

"Well, I got to get going. Got some work for the Student Council that needs my attention. I'll see you in our room tonight, Aruji-sama."

Tatenashi gave a kiss on Raiden's cheek before she departed. Raiden kept a remote face to ensure that he doesn't spring up any more jealousy from his vixen, who was apparently spying on Raiden from a wall.

Houki could only scowl, telling herself that Raiden is hers and hers alone, that no other girl should have him, with Charlotte as an exception given of her nature and past childhood life with the blind boy. Though Raiden tries to keep his girls on the same level and has even confessed to Houki that there are a few other girls he likes/loves other than her which made her accept and understand, Houki still wishes for him to be hers.

 **LATER…**

"Yahoo! Hataru-sama, Shinonono-kun."

During the recess period after the second period, the second year student Mayazumi Kaoruko-senpai appeared in Class 1-1.

"Huh, is there something?" asked Raiden.

"Nothing much. Just a little request."

"A request, for Raiden and me?" asked Houki.

"Mn, yes. Listen, my older sister's working at a publication company. Can both of you accept an exclusive interview with her because you two own Personal IS? Ah, speaking of which, it's this magazine."

Mayazumi hands to Raiden and Houki a sample of the magazine her sister works at. Houki took it and opened for both of them to see. But she wasn't seeing anything related to the IS.

"Um…does this magazine have anything to do with the IS?"

"Mmm?" What, have neither of you done this kind of work before?"

Raiden could only ponder back into thoughts of Mayazumi's question.

 _My interviews were more interrogations than casual talk on host shows._

"You know, some people with personal IS units actually do a lot of celebrity stuff." Mayazumi said. "They're almost like idols, but they mostly do modeling…"

"Modeling, huh? So it's an extortion racket of sorts." Raiden said to himself as he looked over the magazine. Truth be told, he is not a fan of being a celebrity because he does not like the adoration and crazed zealotry of fans. It doesn't earn anything to him not does it serve anything beneficial.

"Ill be back after the class! Make sure you two think about it!" Mayazumi disappeared and took off, leaving just the two with the magazine in their hands.

"Well, what do you think? Should we do it?" Raiden asked.

"I don't know. I'm not into this sort of thing." responded Houki.

"Neither am I. But I guess we'll have plenty of time to figure that out."

Class began as soon as Chifuyu entered the room for another lecture followed by Yamada-sensei.

 **HOURS LATER…**

Once lecture was over and everyone was on break, both Raiden and Houki were at the dojo. Raiden sat on his knees as he watched Houki practicing.

"Hey, Houki." asked Raiden after Houki finished.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"As for what Mayuzumi-sempai said during the break, what do you intend to do?" asked Raiden.

"I refuse. It doesn't match my personality to show up like this. Plus, I don't want to be seen as some model."

"Fair enough. I was going to do the same." Raiden said as he stood up.

"Really?" asked Houki in surprise. "I thought you would've accepted it."

"Normally I would." Raiden said. "But most of my interviews with someone were more interrogations than anything. I would get constantly bombarded with questions while I provided answers. It's not enjoyable in my line of work."

"Speaking of work, you never told me of your job." said Houki.

"And for good reason. Trust me, it is something best left unknown."

Houki did not like that answer but could not complain. She guessed even guys like Raiden have got to have some secrets to keep from their loved ones. But secrets won't last long forever.

"And if I did want an interview, it would be at my house in Yamanashi."

"Yamanashi? You grew up there, Raiden?" Houki asked.

"I did. Six years with my Mentor before she passed away. Her cabin is now mine as is her property, her last gift if you will."

Just when Raiden was nodding away, Mayuzumi-senpai appeared in front of them out of nowhere.

"Yahoo! Sorry to keep you waiting~. So, have you thought of the interview?"

"Ah, about that, Houki, she—"

Just when Raiden was about to continue, Mayuzumi interrupted him.

"Jyan! This super luxurious first-class hotel dinner coupon will be your reward. Of course, it's for two."

After saying that, Mayuzumi-senpai passed Houki and Raiden the brochure of the hotel.

 _Now she intends to bribe us with this? Sure, it looks luxurious but not really my thing, same for Houki. But since Houki's going to refuse it, it can't be helped._

"I accept."

Raiden was caught unaware, leaving a surprised feature on his face.

"Huh, really? I thought you hated this kind of stuff, Shinonono-san."

"No, I should experience this once in a while." Houki trailed off on that last part of her sentence to hide away her embarrassing face. Raiden could not help but chuckle quietly.

 _Well, ain't this a change of pace? Must be because of last night._

"Really? It's settled then. Hataru-sama's alright too, right? Then, the interview will be two days later, on Sunday. Please get there before 2pm."

The dojo was quiet and Raiden was still surprised. And yet, he could not help but make a bit of a joke of Houki's initial response to the interview deal.

"What was that you said about not wanting to be seen as some model?"

Houki could only turn to Raiden and said, "I-I'm just being a bit of a flexible thinker, that's all…"

Houki looked back to the tickets and gave a grin. She was left in her own thoughts for the moment.

 _Besides, he would've told me to take it for the both of us. No, wait! We would've gone on a dinner anyway without the interview. But now this is perfect._

"Well, if you are okay with it, then so am I." said Raiden. He then had a poke on the cheek by Houki's wooden sword.

"Are you sure? You sure you don't have any problems with it?"

Smirking a little, Raiden pushed the blade aside and came up close to Houki, pulling her in for a quick kiss. Houki was caught off-guard but knew what fell upon her and kissed back, pushing deep into Raiden's mouth. The two let go and gave a warm smile.

"How is that for proving it?"

Houki smirked in response and said, "I'm convinced."

The two gave another kiss on the lips as Houki wrapped her arms around Raiden's neck. This dinner after the interview was going to be a piece of cake.

* * *

Saturday afternoon came in as Raiden sat by the tram station waiting for Houki. She was already five minutes late to their planned time to meet so that they could get on the tram and to the interview. He was wearing somewhat of a formal outfit with some nice kakis, casual dark brown dress shoes, a three-buttoned shirt with a silver lion on his left side, and his black leather bomber jacket with a fur trim collar. He was already getting some stares from girls and a few mature women for his outfit and his sexiness. Must be because his blindfold goes well with his style. But he also guesses that what is attracting them to him is the deodorant he put on. He could hear a few gossips of whether he was staring at them whenever he looked at them before they retained their stare in embarrassment.

Houki arrived a few minutes later and met up with Raiden. The black mini-skirt went with the white blouse, and there was a light autumn jacket over her. The bright color of dandelion looked really elegant. She carried her purse with her on her right shoulder that was tannish brown in color. Raiden could only whistle quietly at her outfit.

"You're late." said Raiden as he stood up.

"I got sidetracked by Ichika." said Houki as she drank some water from her bottle in her purse. Raiden gave a good look at her outfit.

"That outfit's not bad. When did you buy it?"

"Ah, mn...well, it was...not long ago, when I went out with a friend..."

Houki was already blushing as Raiden gazed at her outfit. To him it was really beautiful as the colors and style suited her. In truth though, Houki was not sure what to wear to the interview, not to mention that it had been a long time since she and Raiden went out on a date together.

"The decoration on the chest, it's not bad."

"Is-Is that so? I-It's true. I was really mindful of that."

"Even though I normally imagine you in the kendo attire, you're really quite feminine now."

"Fu-Fuu. I-I'm not. Don't think that I'll be happy after you praised me." Houki said that as she folded her arms and looked away. She was being stern but she secretly liked the compliment as she blushed and kept up that tsundere attitude of hers, to which Raiden was fond of.

Both of them took large steps as they walked onto the tram once it arrived. Once they got on, Raiden could only look outside to the view while Houki sat next to him. It did not take long for them to be on the tram as it was only 15 minutes to their stop. Once they got off, they walked hand in hand yet Houki kept giving looks to Raiden on her left occasionally, catching the lion's attention.

"Hm? What's wrong, Houki? Why are you looking here?"

"No-Nothing!" Houki said while turning her face away.

"Is that so?" asked Raiden with a bit of a tease.

They continued walking with large strides as they were not late to the interview but it was a far distance.

"...You-Your clothing's, rath-rather cool looking too..." mumbled Houki.

"Hm? What did you say?" asked Raiden.

"No-Nothing! Nothing at all! Yup! Hahaha!"

Raiden only gave a confused face. Yet it was replaced with a smile as he found Houki's attitude like that to be cute and charming.

 _Houki's weird at times, but I guess that's one of the reasons why I love her._

"It's a little chilly today though. Want my jacket to keep you warm?"

"Y-Yeah? No, wait, hold on...mmmm."

Raiden was confused. Houki just said yes but retracted and said no. Does that mean she wants it or not? In any case, Raiden decided to give her his fur jacket, which was so warm and soft to Houki that she was caught unaware of it. She could only give a stare back, prompting Raiden to give a "what?" pose. Inside herself though, she liked the jacket and squealed as not only was it soft and warm, but it also had Raiden's nice scent in it.

Houki continued to remain silent until they reached the editorial branch, walking hand in hand with her beloved as she laid her head on his right shoulder.

 **AT INFINITE STRIPES…**

"Hello. I'm the deputy chief editor of Infinite Stripes, Mayuzumi Nagisako. Glad to meet ya."

"Hataru Raiden. Pleasure to meet you."

"Shinonono Houki."

The room that was prepared for the interview was rather spacious, the three sofas that were as red as sliced tomatoes were arranged in a triangle.

"Well, we'll start with the interview, and then the photo shoot."

After saying that, she easily flipped the pen-shaped IC recorder. Nagisako was dressed in a two-toned checkered suit, and the slender legs that extend out from her tight-fitting skirt were really beautiful.

"Then, I'm going to start with the questions. Raiden-kun, what are your thoughts of entering a girls school?"

 _Somehow I feel like this is an interrogation of entering another country..._

Raiden thought as the interviewer asked the question.

"It's not that bad, to be honest. I'll admit I didn't know what to expect when I first entered in. Some people might call this a paradise, some might call it a living hell. Either way, I think it's just an ordinary school; just one or two additional features added to it."

"Then, it's about Shinonono-san's onee-san—"

Houki stood up. Same as ever, anything about Tabane is a taboo subject to her.

"Houki, sit! We're being recorded." Raiden sternly yet caringly commanded, knowing of Mayuzumi's intent.

"Uu!" Houki again sat back on the sofa. She knew that Raiden was right but she still isn't comfortable talking about her sister.

"Well, how do you feel about getting your personal unit from your older sister? Do you intend to be a representative cadet of a certain country? Do you hate Japan?"

"I'm grateful to be able to get Akatsubaki...right now, I have no intention of being a representative cadet even though I've received many invitations. As for Japan, well, I was born here, and grew up here, so I don't really hate it."

Houki continued to answer every single one of Nagisako-san's questions fully. As expected of her, she does everything seriously.

"Okay, okay, Raiden-kun and Shinonono-san, who's stronger?"

That questioned was met with eerie silence as the two looked over at each other before looking at the reporter. Clearly from their last fight, the two did not finish due to Raiden's untimely accident but did not want to reveal it. Houki did not know what to say but Raiden manage to come up with an excuse.

"Not sure. Neither of us have yet to duel each other."

"Is that so?"

"Yes." confirmed Raiden.

 _Though, Houki's chances of winning in a mock battle are slightly higher._

"Ahh, that's bad. How can you be a hero if you can't even beat a girl?"

Nagisako smiled but didn't say anything. Feeling annoyed, Raiden kept a stern face and replied,

"I'm no hero, and I don't like to be called that. Makes me feel uneasy."

"Oh, that's an excellent line. This sentence can make it into a movie." commented Mayuzumi. Somehow Raiden felt he just made it worse for himself. She pointed her finger in a lens-shape as she continued to look at him and smile before she let in somewhat of a joke.

"Then, Hataru-taichou. Please tell everyone your feelings on the battlefield."

"Hmm…"

Raiden secretly glanced at Houki. If possible, he really doesn't want to say something embarrassing, but it can't be helped.

"Life is exactly that. A battlefield. You can pay a soldier to fire a gun, you can pay him to charge at the enemy and take a hill. But you cannot pay him to believe."

"I don't follow exactly." said Mayuzumi.

"I grew up with someone who was in the American military and she instilled a lot of her morals and values into me." explained Raiden. "I follow them every day to make sure I stay in line like any soldier would. The worst that could happen is when you begin panic, which compromises not just yourself but everyone around you. In the end, it's all about keeping a cool and focused mind, to make sure that you survive to live another day. And you need to believe in yourself that you can make that fate possible."

Houki was a bit stunned. She thought Raiden would sum it up in a few words about his feelings on the battlefield but he decided to link it with his Mentor. She had already forgotten that Raiden grew up with this Mentor of his of which he doesn't really speak of nor much of his past.

"Speaking of which, Raiden-kun belongs to the student council, right? Tatenashi-chan, she's really cool, isn't she?"

 _Cute...I haven't heard that saying often recently._

"I guess you could say that." Raiden said with a hint of fear due to Houki glaring at him. She must still be a bit angry about what had happened that morning.

"One more thing. Rumors have circulated that both of you are seen together and have become pretty close. So it leads to this question: are you two in a relationship?"

That question made both of them stutter but Houki had it in a more dramatic way. Instantly, her face turned red and she tried to hide it while Raiden remained composed but was struggling internally. Lying again was not going to do any favors so he decided to come clean for both of their sakes. Grabbing Houki's hand gently and pulling her to her side caught the vixen by surprised.

"It is. We are together. And I love her just as much as she loves me." said Raiden.

Houki wanted to punch him out of embarrassment but refrained herself from doing it to not cause a scene. Plus, when she heard Raiden confirm their relationship, she for some reason felt warm and relaxed as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"And you, Miss Shinonono, how does it feel to fall in love with someone like Raiden?"

"I feel really blessed to be honest." Houki answered in a relaxing manner although she did blush a little more so than usual. "I've been drawn to him since he first entered and I'm so glad to be with him."

The girls watching couldn't help but give a cute Aww~ at this, making Raiden smile as he nuzzled Houki's hair slightly, making her blush.

"Just one more question for the both of you: what do you plan to do after you graduate from the Academy?"

Raiden and Houki looked at each other before the former answered the question.

"After my time at the academy, I plan to settle in with my beloved and raise a loving family with her." said Raiden as he hugs Houki's hip and pulling her into his side. By now the girls watching were starting to move from a cute Aww~ to holding back squeals of joy after hearing this, even the interviewer couldn't help but act the same way as well, making both Raiden and Houki smile a little.

"Then that concludes the interview. We're going to the photography room underground. There's a changing room there, so just change your clothes there. We'll take photos once you're done with the make-up."

Entering a different changing room from Raiden, Houki couldn't see the clothes that was to be changed into as she folded both hands in front of her.

"Ahh..."

She sighed and blushed as red as a cherry.

 _'_ _We are together. And I love her just as much as she loves me.' Huh? That guy, really!_

Secretly chuckling and knocking on the wall wildly, the white wall bent in slightly after four heavy hits. Considering everything to be beneficial to her and missing the point, it seems that the teenage express went berserk and couldn't stop.

"That's right...that's right...we are together. And I won't let anyone else have him!"

Holding this model clothing, Houki suddenly realized that the design of the clothing was really daring.

"Uu...thi-this..."

The blouse exposed a lot of the cleavage, and that's topped off with a cute miniskirt and a short-sleeved leather coat.

 _Do-Do-Do I have to wear this!? Me-Me!? Of all people!?_

The clothing that Houki would never choose no matter what was right in front of her, and she was all petrified now.

 _No, but, uu...thi-this may be a good chance...I want to show Raiden that I can go well with such clothing._

Such thoughts lingered in Houki. She did wear that skimpy shrine maiden outfit with her fox accessories last time and Raiden found it cute. Two minutes later, she decided.

"Okay! I'm going to wear it!"

Houki clenched her fists and fiercely undid the buttons of her blouse.

 **LATER…**

 _I-Isn't Raiden done? If that's the case, this delicate fleeting feeling makes me unable to calm down._

Sitting on the chair in the photography room, Houki felt somewhat anxious as she twisted about. As a side note, her make-up was done by a professional cosmetician, and the light make-up created a dazzling beauty. The male assistants and cameramen that were in the room were staring at Houki, and felt really hot.

 _I-If Raiden praises me, we'll be eating outside. I-I'll invite him. And I...I'll...We never had a dinner together actually._

Repeating these words in her mind like a spell, she heard the footsteps coming out from the dressing room.

"Sorry for being late. Raiden-kun, please enter."

Her heart started to beat.

 _Raiden's here...Raiden's here..._

Houki couldn't remain calm any longer as she started to tug at her hair meaninglessly.

"It's a little tight across the chest."

 _-Raiden's voice!_

Houki's heart pounded even crazily.

"Of course not! It really suits you. Even for a man, it's stylish to wear a suit."

At her own limit now, Houki decided to turn to where Raiden was.

"Ahh..."

Standing there was Raiden in a dark grey formal suit, complete with a white shirt, black tie, and black leather shoes. In Houki's eyes, through the lens of a girl in love, the image shown was, so, so cool! It just looked great to her.

"R-Raiden..." said Houki with an immense blush across her face which she tried to hide.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Houki."

"Uu, uu..."

She couldn't say anything as she got nervous. Houki continued to play with her fingers, and finally formed her sentence and muttered.

"It-It really suits you...well, I say. It's not weird."

"Thank you, Houki. And you look rather cute in that dress, sexy even."

"Cu-Cute—!? S-S-Sexy?!"

With her heart pounding like crazy, Houki's face was blushing with a fever. She closed her eyes to restrain this heat.

 _R-Raiden praised me...Raiden praised me..._

Patting her hand on her face, she felt the heat. Houki lowered her head and turned her back on Raiden to prevent him from seeing her looking so abnormal. Raiden could not help but smile and patted her head affectionately.

"Okay. We'll begin the photo shoot. Time's short, so let's finish this at one go!"

Nagisako-san clapped her hands. The workers answered 'Yes', and they finally started the photo shoot.

 **HOURS LATER…**

The first was a simple sit on the sofa looking at the camera with a smile, with Raiden's right arm snaked around Houki's waist to pull her in while she leaned her head to his shoulder. Houki was doing her best to keep her composure but the feeling of Raiden's hand snaked around her waist excited her greatly. Raiden, in turn, felt at ease and most comfortable as he gently caressed her affectionately, calming the vixen.

The second photo had Raiden behind Houki with her head leaned onto his chest from behind as her right hand stroked his face gentle. Raiden's hands gently grasped her waist and even then, Houki could not help but blush. She could feel the sensation of the lion's hands through her dress, the same hands that stroke her before on that night. She could feel his long hair from behind her, which was soft as silk.

"Alright. And now for the third one. Houki, face frontwards and place your arms around his neck while Raiden places his at your waist once more."

The two complied and Houki could not help but stare into the blindfold of Raiden's, albeit with a blushing face. To be up close and personal while being photographed made her nervous as she was shaking a bit slightly.

A few photos were taken before Raiden had a small smirk on him and gently leaned in to kiss Houki, unbeknownst to her as she was completely caught off-guard. Her eyes were wide open at first before she gently shut them and gave in.

The girls couldn't help but swoon over to this, with some of them taking photos of their own with their phone. The photographers were so shocked at this unexpected move that they unconsciously began to take more and more photos before the two separated. They then had their foreheads touch each other briefly, both of them holding a smile for one another.

"Alright. We just have one more for the both of you and for that, we need you to proceed back to the dressing rooms and try on a special outfit for you."

Once more did the two depart into their dressing rooms. Removing their formal wear, both of them came face to face with their outfits.

Raiden's outfit was a polyester yukata robe that was dark gray in color and very samurai-like. Around its edge was a wavy line to represent the water which was dark blue in color. His obi was black with a lion on the front.

Houki's kimono was red and white, like a miko from a Shinto shrine which fitted her style and personality. Given that she is a shrine maiden, it had the okami Inari as a fox decorated on its back in a circle, as if it was chasing its tail.

Both of them took their last photo together, in which Raiden was holding his iron tessen in his hand, and Houki had her hand sleeves together. Both of them gave a serious face to demonstrate that Japanese heritage of theirs.

By the time they exited the photo booth, they were at peace with one another. With the tickets still in hand, they had some time to spare before they head out for dinner. Thanks to their teacher being notified beforehand, they were permitted a free day from school but with a consequence of extra homework due in two days. Walking hand in hand, Houki leaned to Raiden's shoulder as they walked across town.

* * *

In a room that wasn't lit, Madoka was changing the bandages on her right hand alone. Using the robotic nano-machines multiple times, her wound healed, and the syringe that was used was thrown around the room.

"I'm coming in, M."

Entering the room without knocking on the door was the cadre of Phantom Task, Squall. Her lush blond hair flowed smoothly as she entered the room.

"Can you please explain the reason why you took action on your own yesterday?"

Madoka remained silent yet Squall maintained her smile. In contrast, Madoka just glanced at her and continued to wrap her own bandages.

"Even if that was an eventful encounter for you, we were really troubled by you. If you continue to take action on your own like that…"

"...I got it."

"Your mission from our superiors is to steal IS from all over the world. If you often use IS for things other than that—"

An explosion rang out, and the table and the medical kit on it were sent flying. The next moment, Madoka's neck got choked as she was slammed against the wall.

"Fufufu. Your reaction's quick as always."

Squall used partial deployment of the IS to float in mid-air, and four floating cannons of the Silent Zephyrs appeared behind Madoka, and looked like they were ready to fire out anytime.

Madoka was released by her and landed back on the bed. Squall removed her IS and landed on the bed too. The bed took the brunt of both their weights and let out a cracking sound.

"Hey, M. Whether you're Orimura Madoka or not, I don't really care, but please maintain your identity as M while being a member of Phantom Task."

"...I intend to do so until I settle the score."

"Settle the score...with Orimura Ichika?"

"Humph...he's not a threat at all. I can kill him whenever I want to."

"So that means, with Orimura Chifuyu, right?"

After Squall said that, the lips on Madoka's expressionless face curled up as she looked really happy. However, that was an evil smile.

"Orimura Chifuyu, is it? She doesn't have an IS, so I don't think she's much of a threat."

After the sentence ended, Squall blocked Madoka's karate chop and jumped back to avoid the kick. Looking closely, Madoka, who was still smiling, now looked angry.

"Don't you ever humiliate her. Someone like you will never be a match for Nee-san..."

"Just as you were of no match against my pet all those years ago?" asked Squall with a small smirk.

That question made Madoka flinch in embarrassment and humiliation as the memories from those days came to her head, along with the image of the silver-haired lion in his youth with a sword over her neck. A hint of anger coursed through her heart afterwards.

"If you truly want to get to Orimura Chifuyu, you will have to get through him. So M, don't throw the knife. You'll damage the wallpaper."

"Humph..."

Madoka seemed to be embarrassed by the useless taunting and returned the knife back into its sheath.

"I'll go sleep for a while. Ah, M? There's still some time until the next mission, so please control yourself a bit."

"Got it."

"I like honest kids. Bye then, M."

Like how she came in, Squall finished what she wanted to do and returned back to her room. The door shut, and the room was covered in silence and darkness. At that moment, Madoka took the knife out and slid it across her face. The skin got cut, and fresh red blood oozed out.

Madoka got overwhelmed with unspeakable happiness through this act of harming the face that looked like Chifuyu. The delighted expression reflected on the side of the knife.

In her dreams, she sees herself on top of her opponent, her right foot on the stomach and looking down at the corpse that had a sword going straight through its chest. Her prideful and satisfied smile stretched across her lips with wild flames dancing in the background. Her opponent was a silver-haired blind boy, dead and lifeless. And from the distance stood her sister, shocked and paralyzed of what she saw as tears flowed down her eyes, exposing herself and left defenseless.

Squall was right. In order to get to Chifuyu, she needed to kill Raiden. Like two birds with one stone, she would have her revenge. The thought of it coursed through her mind with anticipation.

 _Yes. Ever since those days, I have felt nothing but hatred. He never acknowledged me, always looking down at me with that indifferent look. But that will change. I_ _ **will**_ _become more powerful than him and this time…I will_ _ **kill**_ _him._

To that end, she threw the knife at the same wallpaper she stabbed at earlier, her goal now clear before her eyes.

 _Besides, who would you be without me, Raiden?_

* * *

It was a beautiful night for Raiden and Houki. Taking this chance to have dinner thanks to the benefits of the interview really paid off. Despite eating together, it was always with their friends and never a one on one kind of date. The city lights were on in the background and the only thing separating them and the restaurant is the large river in between. They sat privately by a stone balcony and while it was not cold tonight, Raiden decided to give Houki his black dress jacket.

Looking around at the other tables, it seemed that they were all adults. And they were more like adults of the upper class of society instead of being just normal adults. Because of the two's age, they were not permitted alcohol. Speaking of which….

Houki put the bouquet of flowers on the table, and turned to look at Raiden, who was dressed in the tuxedo. It was eerily similar to the one he wore in the photo booth but mostly black with a white shirt along with his Japanese-themed tie that was tied in a double Windsor knot.

 _Raiden now looks more mature than usual. Basically—that's right, it's great. Why? Why is this guy so suited to wear men's clothing..._

Houki looked at her own dress which was white all over, almost looking like a wedding dress of sorts but more suited for a high school prom.

 _Do-Do I look bad?_

She lowered her head to look at her dress.

As expected, anything other than the kimono couldn't calm her down. It didn't look like it suited her that well. But Raiden, when he looked at it, could not help but be mesmerized by its beauty. Someone close to her, probably her roommate Shizune Takatsuki, chose it whenever they hung out.

Houki was looking somewhat depressed. To cheer her up, Raiden called out her name calmly.

"Houki."

Lowering her head subconsciously, Houki anxiously lifted her head up as Raiden called her, who had a smile on himself for some reason.

"Your dress—"

In that moment, she curled up.

 _What if he says that it's weird? What if he says that it doesn't suit me?_

Thinking about this, her heart felt like it was going to leap out.

"I like it. You look beautiful in it."

"Ah..."

Her heart pounded hard and her face turned red.

"Is-Is that so? That's good."

She acted like it was nothing and coughed, which made Raiden chuckle a bit quietly so as to not receive the other end of the stick. But the heartbeat that was left in her chest felt like it was going to burst out, and Houki could feel her face turning red.

 _The dim lights help me a lot._

After this, dish after dish was served, and yet she didn't feel the taste. Actually, it was unbelievable that the food could even go through the throat, as Houki's heart had been beating wildly because of Raiden in front of her. Though she has seen him dressed up nicely, she never saw him face to face on a date with him.

"I think I can understand why high-quality food like this tastes good. Though personally, I'd prefer yours."

"Is-Is that so?"

Thinking about this, Houki stared at Raiden. In her mind, she could see herself serving Raiden her meals to which he tastes to her satisfaction and happiness.

Facing Raiden's smiling face, Houki's ears got red.

 _Raiden's so handsome, so cool, I can't even look at him straight now._ _Now's the only chance! I'll confess!_

Overcome by the impulse of wanting to pass her feelings, she couldn't bring her courage out. Anxious, Houki tried to encourage herself as she picked the glass cup on the table and drank the contents.

"R-Raiden!"

"What is it?"

"I-I—"

A sudden surge of excitement and pressure caused blood to rush up to Houki's head. Her heart felt like a damaged engine going overload. It was impossible to stop it.

 _Say it! Say it!_

She clenched her fists until the fingers dug into her palms, and she didn't care even though it was hurting her.

"I, well, I—"

Just when Houki was about to say it, she suddenly went limp.

"Houki!"

The world spun around her. _What's happening? What's going on?_ —just like that, Houki's consciousness went out like a TV with the plug pulled out.

"Hey, Heey, Houki?"

Seeing Houki suddenly collapse on the chair, Raiden anxiously asked. But he couldn't do anything opposite the table, so he stood up and moved to Houki before kneeling in front of her out of concern and care.

"Houki, what's wrong? Hey."

"Funya...Raidne..."

Raiden could tell something was not right. Sniffing the breath from her mouth made him retract a bit.

"Oh no. What happened?"

"Heh...what's going on..."

Her speech slurred, Houki swayed and leaped at Raiden.

"I'll teach you. I'll teach you!"

"Okay okay. I think we've had enough for one night."

"Nyahahahaha..."

Seeing this somewhat strange scene, the waiter hurriedly came over.

"Dear customer, what happened?"

"I'm not too sure. She became like this after drinking water."

"Water? Excuse me."

The waiter took the empty cup and sniffed inside.

"Who-WHO SERVED WINE TO THIS CUSTOMER!"

"Wine?"

"Syake—"

"It-It was me!"

"YOU AGAIN! HOW MANY TIMES DID I TELL YOU NOT TO MESS THE ORDER!?"

The young man lowered his head and bowed as he faced the lecturing waiter. Houki was completely drunk, and Raiden just sighed. Houki was in her own world dreaming for now.

* * *

 _It's like a dream._ _I'm waiting for a certain someone in the wide flower field._ _A precious someone._

 _No, I knew who I was waiting for—a prince._

 _Someone called my name._ _And I answered._

 _"Let us go."_

 _The Prince lifted my arm and guided me onto the horse._ _I was carried by the Prince in front of his chest, and my chest felt like it was playing a tune._

 _"Come, my love."_

 _To where? I didn't ask._

 _Anywhere. To the ends of the world._ _Anywhere will do as long as I'm with you._

 _I held onto the Prince tightly._ _The warm, existent heartbeat was pure, undiluted happiness. The softness of a lion's mane._

 _"Houki."_

 _Gyaahh, the wind blew gently._

* * *

As Raiden carried her back to the Academy, Houki snuggled herself into Raiden. The lion paid for the dinner and offered to take responsibility for his date for what had happened. As he walked, he looked down at Houki, who was sound asleep before he felt her grip his shirt with her hand. She then heard a whisper from her.

"Raiden…I love you."

Raiden could not help but smile affectionately for he too loved the vixen. Ever since the first day he saw her, he felt captivated by her. She was there to comfort him when he needed it most and had always been there to protect her. He forgave her for screwing up on the Silver Gospel mission and they even kissed after that. Hell, they even made love together that night.

To Raiden, he and Houki were like the perfect couple. Who knows? He may even propose to her one day.

Only time will tell what the future has in store for both of them.


	23. Chapter 22: Open Your Heart

**CHAPTER 22**

The location was the IS preparation room in IS Academy. A facility near the arenas, and originally meant to house the Maintenance Branch that was to be started amongst the second years. At the moment, Tatenashi's little sister, Kanzashi was in there.

"...the responses from all the parts are so slow. Why..."

Kanzashi continued to hit the mechanical keyboard as she focused on the holographic screen.

 _Using her own ability to materialize the incomplete machine. This was what Tatenashi did when she used Mysterious Lady. Since my sister can do it, I can do it too._

Such thoughts never entered Kanzashi's mind. But if she couldn't do such a thing, she would feel that she wouldn't be able to catch up to her sister's shadow at all. This inferiority complex was engraved deeply in her.

"Core compatibility hasn't increased at all...am I not suitable to...?"

Using the generic nature of the Revive as reference, this multi-ranged IS was called Uchigane Nishiki.

"...Fuu."

Unable to think of an answer, Kanzashi sighed, turned off the screen and kept her keyboard.

 _Better go back and watch anime..._

Watching anime was an interest of Kanzashi that nobody else knew. She watched them all, whether new or old. The genre was about Hero Battles, where the hero takes down the evil organization.

Personally, Kanzashi liked these types of anime that were simple and easy to understand. When she was young, the picture book she liked was of course 'Momotarou'. As a side note, Tatenashi liked 'Urashima Tarou'.

 _What should I watch today…?_

Just when Kanzashi was thinking of this and got ready to leave the preparation room.

"Yo."

The automatic door opened, and standing outside was Ichika. He was holding onto canned drinks.

"Red tea and grape juice. Which one do you prefer?"

Kanzashi ignored him and left the preparation room. Ichika hurriedly followed her.

"Hey. I'm talking to you. Kanzashi-san."

She suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Don't call me by my name..."

"Uu-, then, Sarashiki-san."

"Don't call me by my family name."

"Then—"

"Don't...bother me."

Kanzashi said and walked off. Half a step away, Ichika followed her closely.

"Anyway, take the juice. I don't need two cans. Which one?"

"...Then, the grape..."

"Understood."

After saying that, Ichika handed the can over. Kanzashi reached her hand out to take it, and both their hands touched for a moment.

Kanzashi felt like she got electrocuted as her body suddenly backed away. Her arm shrank back. Seeing this, Ichika looked somewhat suspicious. Perhaps unhappy with this look, Kanzashi seemed to feel unhappy as she snatched the juice away.

"Don't walk so fast."

Kanzashi just took the juice and walked away quickly.

"Wait wait wait! I'm talking about you!"

"...Wha-What do you mean?"

"You told me not to call you by your name."

"...I would rather have you call me by my name than call me like this..."

"Really. Then, Kanzashi...san."

"Fuu." Kanzashi sighed and increased her speed.

"Hey hey, Kanzashi-san, pair up with me."

"No..."

"Don't say that."

"...Anyway, why do you want to pair up with me...?"

"Huh? That's because..."

Tatenashi told him not to say her name, so Ichika didn't know how to answer. Two seconds later, lights flashed in Ichika's mind.

"Because I want to see Kanzashi-san's IS!"

*PA!* A sharp slapping sound can be heard.

"...Huh?"

Ichika looks in surprise to see Raiden in front of him, who just happened to catch an incoming slap meant for the blunnette boy from Kanzashi herself. Looking down on her with an emotionless expression, Kanzashi trembles as Raiden gently let goes of her hand. After that, Kanzashi ran away without looking back. Ichika would've gone after her had Raiden not raised his other arm to hold him back.

Keeping his same emotionless expression, Raiden expressed disappointment at Ichika.

"An-chan, you really need to learn when to give people their space."

"But I was just-"

Raiden held a hand up to silence him. "Let me deal with her for now and I will let you handle the rest."

Raiden walked away as Ichika was left standing there in bewilderment. Perhaps it would be wise for the mouse (Ichika) to back off while the lion takes care of his blue cat's little sister who is a kitten.

* * *

Back in Raiden's room, the blind boy was studying his IS. His compatibility with his IS was already S rank, largely perhaps due to the project, and despite the upgrades that Tabane had made during the summer break, Raiden felt like it needed it improve more. It was not just in terms of its weapons and armor but also in its abilities and mysterious powers it holds. Not to mention that the theory of his Feral Mode evolving was proving to be logically sound. For Raiden's power have increased along with his ability to endure longer than any normal IS pilot. But Lion Heart was, in of itself in a sense, a sentient being, a lion just like him. It needed something that not even Tabane could understand.

The question is: what is it that Lion Heart wants?

A painful feeling then went across Raiden's head as he clutched it. It must be a headache from looking over the schematics of his IS but something told him that it was more. These frequent yet temporary headaches have been getting the better of him lately but Raiden could not figure out why. Whatever it is, he hopes that it will go away soon.

A knock was heard over the door as Tatenashi entered through back to her room. She saw Raiden staring intently at screens showing his IS before he turned to his right to see who it was that entered the door.

"Raiden. You were thinking of something naughty just now, right?"

"Hmm, maybe."

"Tehe. Oh well, I brought cream puffs over. Wanna have some?"

"Might as well. Need a break from my work anyway. I'll make some tea as well"

Raiden led Tatenashi into their room before she decided to sit on Raiden's lap and wrap her arms around his neck. In all honesty, she liked this position as she felt most comfortable and secure with the lion holding over her. The thick reference book was still laid out on the table, and Tatenashi looked over.

"Ah, Raiden. Were you thinking of getting the maintenance branch to help out with your IS?"

"Possibly, if they can understand my IS at all. Ichika is thinking of leaving Kanzashi's personal IS over to them."

"Uu—, that might be a little difficult." Tatenashi said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Why's that?"

"Kanzashi, it seems like she wants to assemble her own unit herself."

"Can she even do that?" asked Raiden.

"She must be bothered that I did that before. There was no need to be mindful of that in the first place."

"You mean to tell me you assembled that machine on your own?"

"Huh? Sorta. I guess. I could do it since it was already 70% complete."

 _She's not really Tabane number two, but this person's really outstandingly talented._

"But Kaoruko-chan gave me lots of suggestions. And Utsuho-chan was also present."

"Those two are of the maintenance branch, right?"

"Yup. The head of the third years and the elite of the second year."

"It may be a good idea to get them and the rest of the maintenance branch to help Kanzashi with her IS, along with sharing your data. Secrecy will be the key to completing it."

Tatenashi then decided to switch topics.

"Raiden, it would be advisable to let the maintenance branch check your IS. I saw the mock battle of Lion Heart in the simulator underneath the Academy. The output of the thrusters don't match the gas reaction rate."

"When Tabane upgraded this IS, a portion of its speed was sacrificed for better armor efficiency." said Raiden. "The armor at the time was like wet toilet paper so it would shatter easily. Besides, who needs thrusters when I got wings?"

Seeing Tatenashi take out the cream puff, she moved it with her mouth to Raiden's before he decided to playfully take a bite, followed by a long kiss mixed in with the cream. Silence was followed after the separation before Raiden spoke up.

"I heard of what Ichika is doing with your little sister."

Tatenashi's attitude then change to one of seriousness.

"And? How do you think it is going?"

"She almost slapped him." Raiden answered immediately. "Luckily I stopped it before it happened."

For some reason, Tatenashi looked shocked. While they were talking, the tea was ready as Raiden served them.

"That kid probably wouldn't waste her strength on such a meaningless act..."

"I've told Ichika to back off for a bit and let me take care of it for now. Let's just say he put too much pressure on her."

"Well, at least you made the right call. Are you sure you can handle it?"

"I'm sure. She doesn't know I am your roommate so I will play nice." said Raiden, which eased Tatenashi. The two of them cuddled for a bit as the night went on.

* * *

 **MEANWHILE…**

Inside her own room, Kanzashi covered her head with her blanket to avoid being disturbed by her roommate as she continued to watch the TV. The small holographic screen appeared in the air, perfectly showing how the hero today beat the evil organization.

Though she was watching this with an emotionless look, she was actually agitated. According to her sister, she had always been like this.

 _I nearly beat him up..._

She managed to control herself the first time. But for some reason, she got agitated the second time she met him and hit him.

 _Why did I do that..._

It's true that it was Ichika's fault that her IS was incomplete. But he didn't have any ill intent.

 _Am...I acting spoiled...?_

Seeing others take the initiative, Kanzashi would always feel that she was spoiled.

Born in the Sarashiki family, she realized the difference in ability between her and her older sister as she grew up. Their relatives often expected things from both of them as such, making her feel dejected. However, she never cried about this to anyone, and her heart had started to seal off.

It was supposed to be like this, or at least that was how it should have been.

 _Orimura...Ichika..._

That guy's presence remained in her. She remembered that kind smile.

Then her feelings became mixed as she remembered the other one, the one that stopped her hand from slapping Ichika. She never interacted with Raiden but his presence was enough to make her tremble in fear like a puppy. Raiden is not cold-hearted but with his blindfold, one would think that he is.

A mysterious feeling swelled up in her heart when her thoughts returned to Ichika, and Kanzashi's face was colored like a cherry. The hero anime on the TV screen finally ended too.

* * *

It had been past a week since Ichika started looking for Kanzashi.

"Hey, pair up with me."

"Absolutely, not..."

As it happened every day, news that Ichika was chasing Kanzashi non-stop soon spread.

"Hey hey, did you hear that?"

"I heard that Orimura-kun's trying to get closer to Sarashiki-san of Class 4."

"Huuh? That's a lie, right!? Why, why!?"

"I'm not really sure, but it seemed that Orimura-kun chose Sarashiki-san as his partner in the personal IS tag match."

"Huh, what about the rest?"

"Well, about that, how should I put it..."

* * *

 **Cecilia Alcott's situation:**

"Ichika-san...I'll make you regret for not pairing up with me. Fu, ufufu, fufufufu."

The Starlight MKIII and the four BITs fired out at the same time. As they were in Polarized Shooting trajectory, Cecilia shot down all the moving targets.

"Tremble to your heart's content under the Requiem that's played by me, Cecilia Alcott, and Blue Tears."

* * *

 **Huang Lingyin's situation:**

"I want my right shoulder part to be replaced with a spread Impact Cannon, send me the package data of the piercing Impact Cannon on the left side. Also, Souten Gagetsu's to be changed into a spear. Change the Impact Cannons on the wrists to a high voltage chain! To be done in three days—ha? Can't do it? DO IT EVEN IF YOU CAN'T! GET TO WORK!"

After sending a one-sided message to the person in charge of manufacturing her armaments in her own country, Rin fired the Ryuuhou at maximum output.

The ground exploded majestically, leaving a large crater in the arena.

"Watch this, Ichika...I won't forgive you even if you beg me for forgiveness!"

"Kukuku." Clenching her fist tightly, Rin's eyes were burning with battle intent.

* * *

 **Laura Bodewig's situation:**

*Creak*...*creak*...

Laura was sitting on the bench of the locker room as she sharpened her knife. Then, she raised the knife to check it. The thing that was sharpened until it was glittering like a mirror was a sharp weapon that could cut off flesh on the slightest contact.

Seeing her face reflected on the blade, a smile appeared on Laura's face.

 _Instructor rejected me, and I couldn't pair up with Ichika. What was I doing...If it has come to this..._

She pointed her blade towards her locker as Ichika's face appeared.

 _I'll show you. I'll let real terror strike your body, Ichika!_

All of the sudden, she throws her knife into the locker door.

*KLANG!* The knife that was thrown out went into Ichika's photo that was in her locker.

Laura's eyes gazed sternly at the photo in the locker.

–Ah.

Looking closely as she opened her locker. the knife pierced viciously into Ichika's forehead on the photo.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

It was the only photo she had. However, Laura completely forgot that she bought the negatives as she turned completely pale. She gingerly raised the photo that had a hole opened in it with both hands.

 _I-I-I finally got this. It was the only photo in the world..._

She paid 200,000 yen to get the priority to choose at the photo auction Mayuzumi Kaoruko organized. And she even bought the photo of the Ichika she liked, together with the negatives.

But it was too late even if she thought of that. She had burned the negatives because she was afraid that others would duplicate it. In other words, this was really the only existing photo of Ichika in the world, the one that Laura liked the most. And this one photo now had a hole ripped through it viciously by the knife.

"D-Duct tape...if I use duct tape, maybe..."

Though Laura frantically rummaged through her locker, she only had military rations, prepared IS suits, knives, knives, knives, and more knives. All of a sudden, the all fell on her and she ended up in a pile of knives.

Forcefully poking out her face from the locker, Laura screamed loudly.

"MEDIC! MEEEDDDDDIIIICCCC!"

Her eyes were completely teary, and it most likely wasn't just a feeling.

...Either way, Ichika had been treated cruelly like an enemy by the girls with the personal IS.

* * *

 **Meanwhile on Raiden's end…**

Raiden had yet to make a decision as to who to choose for the Tag Team Tournament. However, for some reason, he was told by Tatenashi to not pair up with Houki. Why that is she would refuse to tell him, much to his surprise. He was only told to trust her which the lion does despite her mischievous nature.

With no other options, Raiden decides to partner up with Charlotte for the tournament, but has unfortunately not told her yet due to certain circumstances regarding his work from the CIA and of some disturbances lingering from his IS. He just hopes that he does not wear out Charlotte's patience when he makes his decision.

Speaking of Charlotte though…

* * *

 **Charlotte Dunois' situation:**

"Zzst—haa—"

Looking down from 200m above the central tower, there were 57 targets on the perimeter. They were all auto-fire mock-battle types.

"Let's go, Revive!"

Charlotte quickly swooped down. She was holding onto two large and long .59 caliber heavy machine guns named Desert Foxes, one in each hand.

Not decelerating but accelerating, Charlotte swung the heavy machine guns and shot down her targets. Once she used up her bullets, Charlotte threw her guns away and summoned a pair of Assault Blades.

Charlotte continued to maintain her maximum speed as she flew down to the ground in a straight line. She continued to slice up all the targets in her path as she quickly approached the ground.

–HAAAAA!

Just when she was about to crash hard into the ground, Charlotte did a 180-degree turn, using the thrusters on her feet to support her body. With that, she crossed her arms and threw the two blades in her hands, hitting the last target nicely.

"I'm a strong opponent here, Raiden. I hope I won't be a burden to you."

Charlotte smiled. That angelic smile however was giving off an absolute zero-like freezing air, something that even Raiden found terrifying.

* * *

 **Houki Shinonono's situation:**

Houki was at the dojo practicing her Iaido with her katana in her after school training. Since hearing that Raiden had yet to choose a partner between her and Charlotte, she was willing to wait and train herself. She was deep alone in her thoughts as she emptied her mind, ready to draw out her blade.

 _Just you watch, Raiden. When I partner with you in the tournament, I want you to watch how good I am._

Readying herself after emptying her thoughts, Houki gets ready to draw out her katana.

But then all of a sudden…

"Houki-chan!"

"WAAH!? Wh-Wha-What's going on, Sarashiki—san!?"

Tatenashi caught the samurai girl by surprise by grabbing onto her breasts from behind.

"Ah hun, call me Tatenashi."

"Ta-Tatenashi. Is something the matter? I'm doing self-training."

"Ha, Iaido with real swords? You're going for real."

"Yeah, sort of. I'm a descendant of a family that went through the Sengoku Era after all."

"Really? Okay, I understand. Houki-chan, pair up with me!"

That caught the vixen by surprise. Was this the same girl that she found sleeping with Raiden that one morning?

"What!?"

"Please! I-It's unbearable that no one wants to pair up with me."

Tatenashi put her palms together and begged. Seeing Tatenashi like that, Houki was so troubled that she couldn't look back at her coldly. Maybe Raiden would condemn her for such a harsh action. Although becoming the SCP's partner in the tournament would make Raiden partner up with Charlotte instead but Houki was comfortable with that since she trusted Charlotte.

"I see, alright..."

"Okay?"

"Well, this, if that's the case, I don't really mind..."

"Really? That's great. Houki-chan's so kind. Maybe that is why Raiden likes you."

Tatenashi's face went from troubled to delighted as she gave a radiant smile. Houki could not tell whether she should be stunned or angry for the blue cat to mention Raiden's name. Just when Houki was wondering about that, Tatenashi grabbed Houki's hand and walked out.

"Come on, let's go. Let's do it!"

"Whe-Where are we going?"

"The checkup room. I want to see Houki-chan's biometrics."

"Whaa..."

"Oh my. Isn't this important? IS have an auto-adjust mechanism, but it's not good to do these adjustments without the latest figures."

"I-I see."

 **AT THE CHECKUP-ROOM…**

Summoning the control panel, Tatenashi began to prepare the data scan. During this time, Houki wiped her sweat off with the towel on her neck.

"Okay, I'm ready. How are you feeling, Houki-chan?"

"I'm okay here."

"O-kay, let's begin."

The keyboard was tapped, and the scanner floated up from below Houki's feet, shooting out an intensive green light on her body.

"Hm, this is..." Tatenashi said with a surprised look on her face.

"Is there a problem?" asked the samurai girl.

"Houki-chan's breasts are really big. Maybe I lose by a notch. Maybe that is why Raiden is attracted to you more." Tatenashi whined a little as she cupped her own.

"WH-WHERE ARE YOU LOOKING AT!?" yelled Houki as she embarrassingly held her own.

"Ahaha. Sorry, sorry."

"Do it seriously! Really..."

After that, Tatenashi never said anything strange to tease Houki. About two minutes later, the checkup was complete.

"Then, I'll send the data to Akatsubaki. There will be a certain level of auto-adjustments, but you have to do the rest yourself...oh yeah. I'll explain those things to you before the tournament starts, okay?"

"Mn, okay. I don't have a reason to refuse."

"Fufu, Houki-chan, you're cute when you're being honest, you know?"

"Pl-Please stop teasing me! The-Then, I'll say goodbye for today."

"Mn. Good job."

After leaving the checkup room, Houki had an inexplicable feeling.

 _Why is it...that I don't hate her for saying that...She sleeps with Raiden and gets kinky over him. And yet…_

Normally speaking...if it were someone else, she would resist that person no matter what. But for some reason, she accepted Tatenashi's words. This inexplicable feeling wasn't something she was unhappy about. Engulfed in this emotion, Houki walked to the bathroom in a good mood.

 **LATER…**

Tatenashi was still in the checkup room. It was already dark and she had the room all to herself. Opening several display screens to compare the data, her expression became extremely serious.

 _What's going on here..._

On the left side, Houki's personal biometrics from when she entered the Academy were displayed. Her physical ability was top-notch, but the most important 'IS compatibility' was rated at **C**. Tatenashi then turned to the display screen on the right side, seeing the latest biometrics she just got, and over there, the 'IS compatibility' was rated with the letter **S.**

 _The biggest factor in the compatibility was that the pilot had to be born with it. Of course, the compatibility would naturally increase through training and synchronizing with the IS..._

But improving from **C** to **S** in such a short time was completely unheard of. Of course, there was no such record in any open library.

 _The only ones who have the IS compatibility_ ** _S_** _are people like 'Brunhilde' who won the Mondo Grosso, and Raiden who was part of the project he endured as a child…_

In terms of compatibility, Houki was equal to the three strongest pilots in the world. This sort of thing shouldn't be possible at all—logically, it should be like that.

 _If that's the case, the key is...Related to that peerless genius, Shinonono Tabane. It should be correct if I think of it like that._

Tatenashi again gazed at the screen seriously. A sharp glint could be seen from the eyes that belonged to the Sarashiki's. As she analyzed however, she came across something new.

"Hello? What is this?"

A wavelength was shown on a screen with Houki's biometrics. It was huge and wavy and moved in a relatively slow motion but the energy readings coming off of it were monstrous. Tatenashi had seen this wavelength before for she then pulled up her biometrics and it too had the same wavelength.

"Can it be…?"

Pulling up Raiden's biometrics, she saw that Raiden's IS had the same wavelength but it was much more volatile. The energy readings however were the same.

 _But that isn't possible. No pilot should have this wavelength like Raiden's unless…_

Tatenashi's eyes widened in realization as she found out from looking at the schematics between Lion Heart and Akatsubaki that they share a connection, a strong one no doubt. The connection allowed the pilot's to be synchronized with each other, reading each other's thoughts and feelings. It was a power that came directly from Lion Heart.

There were only two other person who had that same connection and that was Mysterious Lady and the Rafale Revive Custom Mk II.

 _It must be because Raiden and Houki spent a night together in bed that caused this to happen. Or was Lion Heart's data shared with Akatsubaki's when it started up for the first time?_

The student council president's eyes squinted a little bit in analyzation, wondering what the future is to be expected for her, Houki, Charlotte, and Raiden now that the lion has three people who share that connection to him.

She then pulls up another screen, one that shows Lion Heart in its dark form from the day the IS Academy was attacked by Phantom Task. Her eyes became even more serious before she whispered one word.

"Akuruturuka…"

* * *

Ichika was looking for Kanzashi. He was constantly asking people where the girl was, even the girls but neither of them knew. Moreover, the girls were annoyed that they were not picked by him to be his partner by his own choosing. But Ichika was on a mission from the SCP as was Raiden. Now that the boy had given Kanzashi from "space" as per Raiden's suggestion, he thinks tracking her down is the best option.

Ichika kept searching before he bumps into Raiden and falls backwards. He rubs his head in pain before he looks up to see who it is he exactly bumped into.

"Anisama?" asked Ichika.

"Why the hurry, An-chan?" Raiden asked before he extended a helping hand to lift Ichika up which the boy complied.

"I'm looking for Kanzashi. Do you know where she is?"

"Last I heard she was over at the arena testing her IS. I was headed there. Come on, let's go together."

The two boys took off, hoping to reach to her in time.

Meanwhile at the arena in the launch bay, Kanzashi prepared herself. After a sigh to empty her nerves, she calls forth her IS, Uchigane Nishiki, whose standby mode was a ring on her middle finger on her right hand.

"Come forth, Uchigane Nishiki!"

Extending her hand out as the light emanated from her ring, Kanzashi's IS activates. She was already in the process of typing out on a holographic keyboard.

"It'll work today for sure." She said to herself with hope. While there were always repairs to make for failures, she hopes those said failures do not end in disaster.

She takes off from the arena and uses the thrusters on the legs of her IS to fly upwards. Already she was climbing high in altitude and was continuing to type on her keyboard while monitoring her IS for any signs of trouble.

"The controls are fine. Onto Hyper Sensor linking. Connect!"

Increasing the thrusters, she makes a few round trips around the sky and climbs even higher.

"Posture maintenance thruster, no issues. Adjusting point for expansion. Adjusting the gravity head to six centimeters in front of the main frame away from the PIC interference zone."

Parts of her IS started to shift in order to increase efficiency and capacity.

"Re-igniting with leg booster balance at -4."

Her leg boosters stopped momentarily before increasing once again to maximum speed. A flip later and she was already circling the IS tower.

Back on the ground, Ichika and Raiden arrived.

"She's not here either?" asked Ichika.

Raiden then looked up and spotted the girl.

"An-chan, up there. 12 o'clock high."

Ichika and Raiden both saw Kanzashi in her IS flying all over.

"That must be her IS!" said Ichika. Raiden had a different expression as he was thinking to himself and analyzing her situation.

 _At that speed and height, her thrusters will start to burst._

Speaking of thrusters, the right leg booster was starting to lose power and soon, an explosion occurred. Kanzashi was immediately thrown off balance.

"Reaction control isn't working! What's going on?!" asked Kanzashi as she was trying to override her commands but to no avail. Already she could see that she was falling to the ground fast.

Raiden gritted his teeth while Ichika was shocked.

"An-chan, get her!" commanded Raiden. Ichika wasted no time at all activating his IS and going after a falling Kanzashi.

"Come forth, Byakushiki!"

Ichika's IS activates as he flies immediately towards Kanzashi.

Kanzahsi already had tears coming forth from her eyes. She could already see the image of her sister looking back at her.

"Onee-chan…"

That same image that continued to haunt her turned to her with that smile before she started to walk away into the light.

"No…no…You're still that far ahead of me?"

Kanzashi could only close her eyes as she accepted her incoming fate.

"I'm…hopeless."

"Kanzashi!" cried Ichika as he hurried over to the falling girl. He manages to catch her just in time before she hit the ground but through a rough tumble that sends them into a wall that crashes. When the dust clears, Ichika was holding Kanzashi bridal style with his back against a wall and in pain.

Kanzashi opened her eyes to look at her savior and was shocked as she held her hands to herself.

"O...Orimura...kun..."

"He-Hehe...are you alright...? To be honest, I'm feeling a lot of pain now..."

Saying that as he gave an awkward smile, Ichika looked like a hero to Kanzashi. The stupid words that were said to calm the situation down sounded really cool to Kanzashi's ears.

"A-Ah...erm...erm..."

"Are you alright, Kanzashi?"

"Huh...? Y-Yeah..."

"Really? That's good."

With the pain still coursing through him, Ichika closed an eye and pulled himself from the wall. There was a huge dent on it due to the impact, and a part of it cracked.

Continuing to grasp Ichika's hand like that, Kanzashi felt her heart beat so crazily it ached. It was the first time she stuck so close to a guy's body, but she didn't hate it. It must be because he's Ichika, Kanzashi thought as she matured late.

"You two alright?" asked a voice that landed in his IS. Raiden came over to check by the time Ichika and Kanzashi landed. The latter shrunk a little in fear because of last time and of the emotionless expression he had.

"AH, yes. We're alright." said Ichika.

"Ah...yes. I'm good." said Kanzashi in mix of fear.

"Let's return to the Maintenance Branch, and see what the problem is."

After helping them upright, Ichika carried Kanzashi who was still in her IS. Raiden followed suit afterwards.

And yet, Kanzashi went silent. Right now, her face was dyed as red as the sunset. To see a man carrying her bridal style in her IS caused her to immensely blush.

* * *

"Thank you very much!"

After the special training ended, Houki and the kendo members bowed and thanked each other.

"Hey~. You don't have to say it so stiffly."

Floating down from above was Houki's coach and tag match partner, Tatenashi. She looked carefree as usual as she waved her hand lightly.

"No, it's unacceptable for a swordsman to lack formalities."

"Swordsman?"

Seeing the stern looking Houki, Tatenashi couldn't help but give a wry smile.

"Oh yeah. How about we have dinner today? At the cafeteria in the second year dorm. I'll lead the way."

"Huh? No, I—"

"Okay. It's decided. Let's go, let's go."

"Wait-Wait a minute! I—"

"Okay okay let's go!"

"Ha..."

Unable to endure Tatenashi's angelic expression, Houki couldn't help but sigh deeply. It was the same when she complied to pair up with her. Why was Houki unable to resist Tatenashi at all despite the blue cat's closeness to Raiden?

At first, she thought that this senpai wasn't willing to listen to others, especially since she is Raiden's roommate which irritated the vixen. But even after thinking about that and getting manipulated, there were a lot of inexplicable things.

 _For-Forget about it. It's not like I hate it._

Now being led by the hand that was holding hers, they walked to the changing room in the arena. It wasn't something she hated.

She remembered her own sister who used to hold her hand like this. Shinonono Tabane.

To Houki, Tabane was an existence she couldn't surpass no matter how hard she tried. When she was young, Tabane was someone she relied on, and someone she was proud of. But unknowingly, she felt that the difference between her and her sister had started to show.

 _That person, she's of a completely different breed from me. The inherent talent difference was too great._

But even so, somewhere in her heart, the aspect where she viewed her sister Tabane as someone she vaguely admired only lasted until 'That Incident'.

"Houki-chan."

"Ah, what is it!?"

"What's wrong? We reached the changing room."

"Huh, I see, yeah. Okay."

"Are you thinking about something? You look really scary."

"Do-Do I?"

"I do. Girls are prettier when they smile—!"

Tatenashi went behind Houki and moved both hands under her armpits.

"Koochi koochi koochi!"

"GUHAA! HA-HAHAHA! STO-STOP IT...AHAHAHAHA!"

Just like that, they spent two minutes in laughter, and Houki was out of breath when the tickling attack ended.

"Haa... haa... haa..."

"Mn-, Houki-chan's reactions are so cute...speaking of which."

"Wha-What is it?"

Finally regaining her breath, Houki opened the locker and answered,

"Houki-chan, regarding your elder sister—Professor Tabane, do you keep her away?"

Houki remained silent. It wasn't that she hated it. Recently, she finally started to realize it. But she would remember that incident when they met. She wanted to seal her memories, her lack of control over her emotions, and—

 _The hurt I inflicted on her..._

All those were her own fault. Not Tabane's fault, but her own fault. She couldn't control herself, drowned in power, and caused 'That Incident' to happen. She no longer wanted to remember that, and now she wanted to run away from everything related to Tabane. In fact, she wanted to reject the entrance to IS Academy, but she finally entered because the government somewhat forced her. Of course, that was because she was Tabane's little sister.

"It's not that I hate her."

"Really. That's good. A family should get along well together. Though I really can't say that about others."

Tatenashi murmured at that last sentence, although it wasn't heard by Houki.

"Let's take a shower together."

"Huh? No, I'll just use my own room—"

"Okay okay. Raiden is gonna hate the sweaty smell."

Raiden. Houki knew who Tatenashi was referring to, and her face immediately blushed. Although she could still remember what happened that one morning after the vixen and the lion mated, she put it past behind her after training alongside Tatenashi.

"It's so late already, and there shouldn't be anyone in the shower room. We got the whole room, you know?"

"Pl-Please don't drag me along! I'll just walk on my own."

Though Houki protested, Tatenashi just answered with a smile and even pulled Houki by the arm.

 **A WHILE LATER…**

"Ah~ it feels so good."

In the shower of hot water, Tatenashi let out a refreshing sigh. The showerheads in the shower room were separated, and both of them entered neighboring cubicles. Even though they were separated, the leg and head area were completely open for everyone to see, so there would normally be girls chatting away happily. The spacers were all translucent glass sheets, and though they could block the exposure of the chest to the thigh, the human figure would be shown as a silhouette.

Houki didn't like this shower room as her bust size would be checked on by the other girls.

"Are you the bathing type, Houki-chan?"

Tatenashi suddenly asked Houki, who remained silent up till now.

"Well, as for what you said just now."

"Hm? About your sister?"

Houki nodded her head.

"I don't really hate her. I'm really grateful about the Personal IS."

"I see."

"But I still can't understand."

"Can't understand what?"

"What was my sister thinking..."

"Hmm."

Tatenashi turned off the shower and leaned on the spacer. The space between the body and the spacer couldn't take the ample breasts, and they were squashed.

"You're scared because you don't understand?"

Getting a silent affirmation from Houki, Tatenashi continued,

"If that's the case, I'm the same."

"Huh?"

"So I'm sure your onee-san's the same as well."

Unable to understand, and being afraid as a result. However, one has to understand that courage was needed. The courage that surpasses the fear of hurting oneself, that surpasses the fear of hurting others.

"It's alright."

"In-In what case?"

"There's no need to worry. I'm sure your onee-san would treat you as someone important. So, there's no need to be scared."

Explaining this gently, Tatenashi maintained a silent smile on her face until the end.

* * *

"The problem you had was that you put too much thrust into the boosters, hence why the right one exploded."

Raiden was explaining the problems of Uchigane Nishiki as he analyzed the damage. Ichika went to get his back checked out as it was aching in pain while Kanzashi stayed behind to fix her IS. Raiden offered to help and despite her fear of him that was slowly starting to wear off a little, Kanzashi accepted it.

"Remember the Space Shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986?" asked Raiden as he was pulling out some component parts underneath the IS.

"Um…no?" said Kanzashi with fear and confusion. Was this something of American history?

"After the O-ring on the shuttle failed," Raiden said before he grunted and pulled out the failed booster part. "it caused a breach in the SRB joint it sealed, allowing pressurized burning gas from within the solid rocket motor to reach the outside and impinge upon the adjacent SRB aft field joint attachment hardware and external fuel tank. This led to the separation of the right-hand SRB's aft field joint attachment and the structural failure of the external tank. Aerodynamic forces broke up the orbiter."

Kanzashi was a bit confused. Though she was an expert at mechanical engineering, she couldn't fully understand the big words. Expecting this, Raiden summarized what he said.

"In short, an O-ring failed, caused excessive burning in the rocket along with intense pressure, and then BOOM!" Raiden said as he ripped another piece of the failed thruster. "The Challenger was shredded to pieces."

After taking out the burned areas and cleaning the soot off the IS, Raiden came back to Kanzashi's side as she typed away on her keyboard.

"While the other components of your IS work fine and adjust well, you will need to work on the thrusters more in terms of consumption, timing, and type. At least your weapon components and systems are still fine but I have to ask: why this many rockets?"

Kanzashi answered shyly "W-Well…maybe it is because I need to protect myself?"

Raiden could not help but chuckle. He actually found Tatenashi's little sister to be cute although he cannot tell her that he is that said sister's roommate and beloved, nor the fact that he took her virginity away. In time though, she will have to know the truth and depending on her reaction, it will either be for better for worse.

"I do have one question for your IS though." said Raiden, catching the girl's attention. "What made you want to build your own IS from scratch?"

Raiden needed to be careful now. Any hint of her sister would make everything end in disaster. Kanzashi was unaware of Raiden's relationship with her sister so she decided to come clean mainly because for some reason, she trusts Raiden. His calm nature despite his cold expression that one time allowed her to get along with him, almost as if she was looking up to someone she admired.

"W-well…as a representative candidate of Japan, I…"

Kanzashi kept drifting off in her sentences for fear gripped her like a gnarled root. But when in Raiden's presence, she could only feel somewhat relieved since she put her faith in her trust in him.

"I wanted…"

Raiden could see that she was struggling to speak her mind so he decided to ease her worries by interrupting her.

"It's alright if you do not want to tell me. I won't pry into it too much."

But Kanzashi wanted to speak the truth despite the struggle, so after an inhale, she spoke out her words.

"I wanted to show people that I am capable of achieving something. I don't want to sit by and do nothing."

Raiden was surprised but understood immediately of her situation. He then asked her another question,

"Does the solitude of doing something on your own ever get to you?"

"Sometimes. But I do enjoy the quiet, even if I struggle in parts I do not understand."

Raiden asked once more, "And on those parts, do you ever reach out for a hand to help?"

Kanzashi then said, "I do not need help. I learn my mistakes on my own and fix my own."

 _Doing that can only make the solitude worse._

Raiden thought to himself for he too experienced loneliness countless times as a child. Even with people surrounding him in his youth, he still felt a hollow void in himself which all changed when Akane Fujimoto, his Mentor, came in and became the one woman in his life most important to him than anything, almost like a mother figure but he wouldn't go that far.

"Whenever you kept refusing Ichika's offer to partner with you, did you really mean it?" asked Raiden.

Kanzashi leaned back and sighed to herself.

"How long do I have to endure that person to atone for his mistakes?" Kanzashi asked to herself which was caught by Raiden.

"Kanzashi, what do you think being human means? That is what you do. You make mistakes." Raiden then pulled a chair over to hers and sat down. "Sometimes, out of those mistakes come the most amazing things."

Raiden goes on a brief trip down memory lane in his mind to account for all the mistakes he made but the end result of those mistakes being corrected came rewards that were priceless.

"When Ichika wanted to partner with you, it was for a reward. That was it. That was why. The opportunity to see how well you can perform with your IS. I'm sure he heard of what happened to your IS when it was in development before he was discovered to be a pilot and that it got scrapped as a result. That time when you attempted to slap him, you had every right to be angry but it was also you making a mistake. Without it, you wouldn't be here. So even if you got no faith in him or in yourself, I'm asking you to do what I do. I'm asking you to look at all the junk and see the treasure. You need to have faith, Kanzashi, in who you can be and what you can make of it."

Getting up from his seat, Raiden went over to the sink to wash his hands as Kanzashi watched him. Words of wisdom reached to Kanzashi, all about faith and belief in herself and what she can do, something she has yet to prove but wants to prove. Kanzashi though was conflicted. She was growing comfortable over Raiden yet she could not help but wonder why the second male in the world to pilot an IS would help someone as insignificant like her. With that thought in mind, she asked the question.

"Um, Hataru-sama."

"Raiden." interrupted the blind boy as he wiped his hands off of the soot. "Please just call me Raiden."

"R-Raiden-sama." said Kanzashi. It was not easy to call him by his first name but Raiden didn't mind, except maybe for the honorific at the end.

"Why?" asked the girl, catching the lion's attention. "Why would you and Ichika go so far for me?"

Raiden merely smiled as he and Kanzashi came face to face, like a master and student. Raiden had to be careful though because any indication of her sister getting involved in this would lead to disaster on his part. Raiden then explained carefully in metaphorical terms.

"There are answers to life we could never solve. But who we are and why we are here, are not among them. Those answers we carry inside."

This was not the answer Kanzashi was expecting but Raiden was not done yet.

"You are my friend Kanzashi, you always will be. There will be days when we lose faith, days when we feel hopeless in the long road ahead. But the day will never come, that we give up everything we worked so hard for only to have it taken away from us because of something trivial."

Raiden came over and patted Kanzashi on the head with his left hand, to her surprise. With a smile, he said his final words.

"Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing, Kanzashi. But it is up to us whether we make that fate possible or not. And by helping you, I made it possible for you and I to meet and become friends and also encourage you to join Ichika and be his partner for the Tag Team Tournament. And any friend who is struggling will need another to carry her along the road she has taken."

Kanzashi could not help but smile for the sheer words of wisdom from Raiden were like that of a teacher, a mentor of sorts. Given of being a hikikomori, or a person spending most of her spare time under a blanket in her room and watching anime or movies, if she had one person to compare Raiden to, it was the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime. For the words of a Prime were always held with wisdom and Kanzashi could see the reflection of that strong and wise leader reflect in Raiden. She could not help but giggle a little to the lion's contented heart.

The doors to the maintenance area opened and in came the maintenance team who, at Raiden's request, came to help out Kanzashi and her IS. The blue-haired girl was shocked as she looked up to the lion who had his head turned sideways looking over to the team. She saw the head of the Autobot leader forming around Raiden's head, almost as if the Autobot leader was looking at her with compassion and care.

* * *

"Haa..."

After rinsing himself, Raiden rubbed his head and turned off the shower.

"We've finally completed it."

The development of Uchigane Nishiki, which Ichika and Kanzashi despaired over in the beginning, finally became reality with the help of Mayuzumi-senpai and the rest. Of course, this did involve a certain 'third-party' power. Speaking of that power, Raiden heard a few knocks on the door.

"It's open."

On hearing the knocking on the door, Raiden stood up. The door opened, and the 'third party's standing there.

"Aruji-sama."

"Tatenashi."

For some reason, Tatenashi was dressed in almost nothing but an over-sized button-up shirt and blue panties. Luckily, nobody saw them.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course."

"Then, excuse me."

As usual, Tatenashi entered the room with graceful steps before walking to the bed and leaping onto it.

"Aruji-sama."

"Yes?" Raiden asked as he came out with a towel around his waist. At least he wore his nighttime underwear briefs.

"Massage~"

She even flailed her legs about. Raiden sighed, knowing that he was not one to refuse not out of perverted intention but of real love. But since this person's his roommate and beloved, it's pointless for him to resist. Even worse, he'd be making a fool of himself if he dared to resist.

Coming over to the bed, Raiden puts his hands on Tatenashi's body willingly and began to massage her gently.

"So, who are you paired up with tomorrow?" Tatenashi asked as she moaned a little. Raiden continued to feel her for the stiff parts as Raiden asked what was on his mind.

"Haven't decided yet." said Raiden.

"Hn? Isn't the team list released already?" asked Tatenashi.

"No, I didn't have the chance to look at it since I was in the prep room. Anyway, why are your legs so stiff? Did you run a marathon?"

"I did a lot of valuable speeches during the school gathering. Weren't you listening?"

"I was…most of the time." Raiden's sentence drifted off a little in shame.

"You need to learn to pay attention, you know? Didn't the Marines teach you that?"

"They did. But I was tired that day from my work recently. The CIA have been giving me lots to do."

"Yare yare. Also, my partner's Houki-chan."

"Houki? So that's why you didn't want me to partner with her."

Since it's Houki, Raiden thought she would say something like 'One person's enough!'. Tatenashi was at it once again.

 _Tatenashi is using her own way. To look for the existing link in a little sister with her elder sister. Perhaps she found a silhouette of her own little sister inside of Houki._

However, as expected, Tatenashi still couldn't ignore Houki's situation.

"Raiden, you really have quite the good relationship with your surrogate sister."

That question made Raiden stop massaging. Tatenashi could sense this and now had to choose her words carefully. After all, the last thing she saw from their fight was a slap on Chifuyu's face.

"Orimura-sensei's always looking out for you. She just wants to make up time for what was lost."

"You don't understand." Raiden said as he turned around and sat on the edge of the bed, facing away from Tatenashi.

"She insulted my Mentor, the very same person who brought me out of my sinking hole. I know of the history between the two but I owed a lot to Akane. What gives Chifuyu the right to insult her out of the blue like that?"

"Perhaps it's you that doesn't understand at all— because you're important, special, she had to be even stricter with you. Just like how she was with Ichika."

"I'm not so sure." said Raiden as he looked at the same right hand that slapped Chifuyu. He could still feel a sliver of his actions emanating from it, prompting him to clench his hand into a fist.

Tatenashi sat up and placed her hand over the fist in care as she looked at Raiden straight in the eye.

"Everything Chifuyu did when you entered the Academy was out of the sisterly love and care for you. If there is one person she fears losing aside from her little brother, it's you. She does not want to experience that same feeling ever again. What's more is that she even gets nightmares of what happened that day and what would've happened had she not come."

Raiden could see the truth in Tatenashi's eyes, for the blue cat is somewhat relating it to her little sister. While the two may be polar opposites of sorts, power and authority do not determine a family bond, especially among sisters. Perhaps Kanzashi will see that truth as well one day but baby steps are first required to pull her out of the hole.

Raiden finally relaxed a bit as he let go of his fist which he then held Tatenashi's hand, their fingers intertwining together. Raiden then asked one question.

"Do you really think I earn her forgiveness for what I did?"

Tatenashi could only reply with this simple statement.

"You already know the answer to that. If you ever regret what you did, then that just proves that you are still human like everyone else. I'm sure she would forgive you for it, but only if you make that possible."

Raiden could not help but smile a little in comfort. His roommate, the SCP, was always there for him whenever he was down or hurt. Had he not met Tatenashi, things would've turned out differently. Their foreheads touched each other briefly before Tatenashi laid back on the bed.

"Now come, spend this tiring night with me and ease away your worries." Tatenashi said as she opened her arms out to invite Raiden in. Raiden obliged as he laid down on top of Tatenashi and gave her an intimate kiss before both the kiss and the night turned passionate as always on every night.

* * *

It was early the next morning on the weekend already and Raiden had a lot of time to think of what Tatenashi had said to her during his morning run. It was a lot to take in for him to swallow her words.

 _Only I have to make it possible huh?_

Thinking that he should stop by the Orimura house to see his surrogate sister, Raiden decided to run an extra mile just to catch up. Luckily due to his metabolism and cardio, he was quite capable of running all those miles, a part of it because of the project but a majority because of his training with the Marines back in Quantico.

 _I wonder how the rest of the Lion Kings are doing? JZ, how are you doing in Heaven?_

Raiden could remember his team back in the Marines, mainly his Marine detachment squad, the 4th Battalion 2nd Marines or the Lion Kings as they were called. There was Justin Carter a.k.a. JZ, a fellow Marine he trained alongside with during their initiation; Robert Williams a.k.a. Padre, the captain and leader of the squad; Anthony Lopez a.k.a. Tank, second-in-command to the squad; Morgan Stanbury a.k.a. Moana, the "lover" of Raiden as she was deemed the lioness of the group; Cameron Walker a.k.a. Camera, a fellow Marine one rank below Raiden who was taken under the lion's wing when struggling with his sharpshooting skills; and finally, Jared Lennaham a.k.a. Jar Jar, the techy and overall geeky nerd of the squad.

Raiden wonders what they are all doing right now. Last he heard was that Padre went to work at the Pentagon, Tank became the new captain, Moana became a pilot of a Bell AH-1 Cobra, Camera was promoted to second-in-command of the Lion Kings, and Jar Jar was a top ranking intelligence officer who decided for some reason to open a noodle restaurant with his wife, a CIA agent.

JZ though was killed in action long ago from an accident. But a Marine should never die in an accident because not only was it stupid but also shameful to the pride and honor of the Marine Corps. Raiden could remember the funeral he attended long ago, how he saluted JZ's father that was a WWII veteran. Raiden kept a small memento of JZ, a black mustang pendant.

Arriving at the Orimura residence house, Raiden took a minute to compose himself and relax a little to prepare himself. He stepped to the gate and pushed the ringdoor button but before he could, a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Raiden turned around to see a familiar figure.

"Raiden? Whatcha doing here? This ain't your place!"

Turns out that the figure was Chifuyu but her hair was messy as was her outfit. Raiden guessed that she was just tired but there was more to it than that. Closer inspection revealed Chifuyu's breath to stink of alcohol, making Raiden retract himself after smelling the amount of beer and possibly whiskey shots within it.

Sighing to himself, Raiden said,

"Okay, let's get you inside first and lay down."

"But I don't wanna lay down!" Chifuyu pouted drunkenly. Raiden was no stranger to this sort of thing as his Mentor, whenever drunk, would always complain, prompting Raiden to take things into his own hand.

Unlocking the gate, Raiden had one of Chifuyu's arms over his shoulder before he carried her back to the house, to which he opened up by kicking the door down given that his hands were full. He didn't break it but he did leave a shoe mark on the door. Oh well, Ichika can clean that later.

Settling her down on the couch, Raiden proceeded to remove her jacket and clothing while also slipping onto her something more comfy. A tank top and shorts would do. Raiden took the dirty suit and tossed it to the laundry bin. Once he returned with a glass of water in his hands, he sat by Chifuyu's side as he fed her the water.

But feeding the water was not going to be easy. Raiden had only one option to feed her the cold water: mouth to mouth. Drinking the cold water first, Raiden then inserted it into Chifuyu's mouth, to which the Brunhilde was not aware of and swallowed the cold water gently without choking.

Raiden fed the rest of the cold water to the sleeping Chifuyu mouth to mouth as usual before the bottle of water was empty. He wondered what if Chifuyu was listening for he had some words to say.

"Aneue…I am not good with stuff like this but…for wat it is worth, I am so sorry." Raiden looked down for a bit. "I should not have slapped you for what you said about Akane. I know full well the history between you two and I let my anger get the best of me. You were always looking out for me like she did, just in your own way. Not every sibling relationship is perfect and I am sure Ichika has done something similar with you before but in a less violent way. I guess what I am trying to say is…" Raiden then looks up towards the sleeping form of the Brunhilde. "even though you chastised me, you will always be my big sister. I love you too much to hate you right now."

He was about to take his leave before he felt a hand on his arm hold him back. He looked back to see Chifuyu muttering some words.

"I'm sorry, Raiden…I am so sorry…"

Raiden then saw tears come from her eyes which made him shocked. She must still be remembering that day when she found him and saw his eyes. The events that followed afterwards only made those nightmares seem worse. Tatenashi was right though. Chifuyu does suffer nightmares of Raiden in his youthful age.

Sighing to himself, Raiden decided to stay and snuggled with Chifuyu. The couch was at least big enough for the two of them to be on together. Somehow someway to Raiden, Chifuyu could feel his presence and decided to hold him tight to herself wrapping her arm around his lower back.

A quick cuddle was all that was needed for these two surrogate siblings. Even if they both wake up in the same couch together, neither of them would mind. And soon the lion found himself tired and sleepy as he shut his eyes along with the Brunhilde.

* * *

Kanzashi was using the kitchen in her dorm. The gas stove was giving off piping hot air, and Kanzashi, who was sitting on a chair in front of it, looked on impatiently.

 _Orimura-kun...will-will he eat it?_

She was making green-tea-flavored cupcakes. One of the many specialty dishes of Kanzashi. Looking at the clock on the wall to check the time, it was now past 10pm. Maybe Ichika would be sleeping. Thinking about this, Kanzashi's heart sank again as she stared at the stove expectantly, thinking that it would have been better to bake it earlier.

*CHING!*

"Ah! It's done!"

Kanzashi's expression immediately brightened. She carefully placed her mittens on both hands and took out the cupcakes from the oven. The sweet smell of baked sugar and the aroma of green tea scattered out.

 _Uu, yup...well done..._

The cupcakes that were giving off hot air so yummy that it could be eaten. Kanzashi gently put each cupcake into the prepared bag one by one, and then used a string to tie the opening.

 _The-Then...I'll give it to Orimura-kun to eat..._

She was happy. And because she was too happy, Kanzashi's heart felt like it was going to explode.

"Be-Before it cools down."

Holding the three cupcakes with both hands, Kanzashi ran out of the kitchen. Taking three, two steps on the corridor, Kanzashi couldn't help but smile.

Giving something to the person she liked. While she was somewhat shy about it, she also felt a little proud.

 _I want to see him._

 _I want to see him. I want to see him. I want to see him._

Kanzashi continued to run on the corridor and hastened her pace. She turned around the next corner, and soon, she was about to reach Ichika's room.

"Suu...haa..."

She stopped at the corner to adjust her breathing.

 _I'll go slowly from here._

She didn't want to be seen panicking. Thinking about this, she turned the corner until she heard a sound.

"Huh?"

Ichika's door was open, and Kanzashi hid instinctively.

"Mn~ I'm really happy."

She definitely didn't mistake that. It was her sister, Tatenashi's voice.

 _Wh-Why in this room?_

Hiding at the wall, she peeped in from there.

"Damn it, that's enough. Spare me the agony." said Ichika

"Huh—isn't that pretty good?"

Tatenashi said that as she tugged at Ichika's arm. Seeing them like this, Kanzashi's breathing stopped for a moment.

"Both of them seem to have quite the good relationship."

Her heart ached as if a knife had pierced into it. Kanzashi then subconsciously held onto the cupcakes tightly.

"Then, how is it? Kanzashi-chan's machine. How is it?"

 _Huh?_

"Hmm? What, basically?"

 _What's, going on?_

She couldn't help but prick her ears and eavesdrop on their conversation, and her heart rang like a siren. She shouldn't listen. She mustn't listen to it at all.

"How was my machine's data?" asked Tatenashi.

Subconsciously shocked, Kanzashi immediately held her hand to her mouth and leaned her back on the wall.

 _The test data Orimura-kun gave me._

She thought that it was Byakushiki's, but it was actually…

 _Nee-san's machine?_

Her world started to collapse. Nobody had any ill intent, however—Kanzashi had her own pride.

 _Uchigane Nishiki's assembly...I finally managed to complete it with my own power...finally...finally!_

Perhaps she thought that she caught up to her sister, or that's what she had thought.

"Ah...a..."

It was an illusion. All that was an illusion.

The gentle Ichika. The completion of Uchigane Nishiki. The wisdom of a certain silver lion whose words were like that of a certain Prime.

All of it. All that was completed by her own sister.

Thinking about this, Kanzashi's heart couldn't help but imagine about her sister. The perfect appearance, outstanding brain, athletic ability that far surpasses an ordinary person, the charisma that locks the hearts of many in.

"Ah...ah...ahh..."

It's scary.

"No, don't..."

 _Kanzashi._

The voice of the illusion rang beside her. Even when she covered her ears and closed her eyes, she couldn't get rid of that sound.

 _You don't have to do anything. I'll deal with everything._

It's so sweet, so sweet, yet the words sounded like poison. It started to spread in Kanzashi's heart, and soon flowed out.

The despair, the darkness.

"No...no..."

 _So, you…_

 _Can continue to remain powerless._

Her heart and body felt like they couldn't take it. And so, Kanzashi ran out. She ran, ran, and ran, until she reached her room in a daze.

"H...Haa...Ha...Haa..."

Her shoulders couldn't stop trembling, and her face was covered with trails of tears that looked like they were drawn on it as they drip onto the floor.

"Uu..."

She forcefully rubbed her eyes to wipe her tears away.

But the tears swelled up again, and Kanzashi couldn't take it as she escaped into her bed.

"I...I just-just...I just..."

 _Just continue to remain powerless._

The cruel voice of her imagination pierced through her chest. And then, the damnable burst as tears flowed out.

"Uu-uu...uehhh..."

Choking and crying, her heart was wavering.

"Uwaaaaaaaaa...uwaaaaaaaaaaa..."

Feeling that she really wanted to die, Kanzashi just continued to cry alone.

From behind her door, that said certain silver lion could hear the cries of the child as he overheard them. He kept the same emotionless expression as he leaned back against the wall and had his arms crossed over.

The wisdom of a Prime is indeed tough to swallow.


	24. Chapter 23: A Sister's Presence

**CHAPTER 23**

 _Is it morning...already?_

Rubbing her swollen eyes, Kanzashi slowly got out of her bed but she couldn't feel even worse now.

However, today's the day of the Personal IS pilot tag team match tournament. Right now, it's impossible to even think of resting.

 _I have to go..._

She staggered and walked to the basin area, and washed her face with cold water. They say that cold water has a way of waking up the person and clearing their head. The same applied for hot water. Either way, Kanzashi was but conflicted for a moment before she took a sigh.

Calming herself down, Kanzashi put her glasses on. She had to work hard today no matter what. Everything had to go right for her this time, for no mistakes were to be made nor any flaws procured.

She continued to think that way. Even though she still couldn't accept it psychologically, she could only think that way.

 _The tournament schedule. They will show the match-ups...at that time..._

But if they progressed smoothly, they would have to face off against Tatenashi, even if they didn't know when.

Her chest began to hurt and her legs became shaky.

Ichika and Tatenashi, who looked really happy. She understood that they didn't mean to agitate her, but she still felt really hurt. What would Raiden, or Prime as Kanzashi would often call him in her mind, say about all of this?

 _I can't beat that person, I can't._

She bit her lower lip tightly as tears still swelled in her eyes.

 _If only there was a hero around. Like Prime._

Like in a manga, where the hero would appear majestically, a flawless hero. A powerful, strong, kind, unwavering and upright partner who would follow his own justice until the end. Kanzashi saw the hero in her dream interchange with Ichika, and couldn't help but shake her head.

 _Either way, I have to go._

Feeling so inferior that she wanted to disappear, Kanzashi left the room.

* * *

"Then, we'll invite the Student Council President, Sarashiki Tatenashi, to deliver the opening address."

After Utsuho-san said that, she took a step back from the microphone on the podium.

On a side note, Honne Nohohon and the members of the Student Council, were lined up behind Utsuho-san. The only one missing was Raiden who for some reason, to Tatenashi and Chifuyu, will not attend as he was given an assignment by the CIA. Henceforth, he was taken off of the tournament because of it.

"Fuaah...sleepy sleepy..."

"Shh. Nohohon-san, the head of the teaching staff is looking here." said Utsuho-san.

"Okay..."

Ichika wouldn't detect it if he didn't look closely, but Honne Nohohon nodded her head slightly. However, he didn't know if it caused the opposite effect as she swayed around like a daruma.

 _Ahh, the teacher's looking over._

That head of teaching staff has inverted triangular eyes, hair tied to the back, and was dressed in an angular shirt. On a side note, the demon he is talking about is Chifuyu. She was keeping up a professional face but inside, she cursed Miriam for giving Raiden a mission from the CIA that literally takes him out of the country.

 _Damn you, Miriam, for coming in at a bad timing._

"Everyone, we're having the Personal Pilot Tag match tournament starting in two days. I hope that everyone can learn something from the match. Please enjoy the show!"

The clear tone, the precise pronunciation, they all felt like some beautiful music. Like usual, Tatenashi gave an overwhelming presence. There's no other reason for why she's so popular. She'd only wish Raiden were here.

But this is the charisma of IS Academy's Student Council President, Sarashiki Tatenashi. She really grasped the hearts of the students, and my heart couldn't help but be dyed marine blue.

"Then, I'll announce the matchups!"

After saying that, the large holographic screen appeared behind Tatenashi.

Shown right at the top is the first battle.

 **Orimura Ichika and Sarashiki Kanzashi** **VS** **Shinonono Houki and Sarashiki Tatenashi**

Ichika was god smacked and shocked.

 _Another inevitable meeting in the first round? This looks tough._

Remembering the time when he faced off against Laura last semester, he sighed deeply.

 _But is Kanzashi okay? Suddenly having to fight Tatenashi out of a sudden…_

Ichika couldn't see her in the crowd of girls whose hands were raised.

 _We have to remain on standby in the same pit. I'll discuss it with her later._

* * *

 **MEANWHILE…**

Raiden was on his way to the CIA headquarters in Japan. He just packed his essentials and was carrying a heavy case that was loaded with a sniper rifle, an M24-SWS sniper rifle that fires 250 METI registered NATO rounds, perfect for assassination missions. It was his own personal weapon that he inherited from Akane for his missions with the CIA, along with a modified Beretta M9 Silencer attached that was holstered on his right hip. Thank goodness it was concealed behind his trench coat.

Raiden kept walking towards the exit where his ride was waiting for him before someone bumped into him and fell backwards. Kanzashi Sarashiki was on her butt rubbing her head before she looked up and saw Raiden. She immediately became relieves but that relief turned into fear. Raiden extended a hand and Kanzashi hesitantly accepted as she stood up.

"Are you alright?" asked Raiden as he brushed off the dust from Kanzashi's shoulders.

Kanzashi was a little bit afraid to answer. Although she had trusted the lion with the words and deeds of a Prime, she kept her head down and her eye expression hidden. Raiden could see her shaking in fear. He leaned down a little to her height to get a better look.

"Kanzashi? Are you okay?"

"Raiden-sama!"

In a flash, Kanzashi quickly came to Raiden and hugged him, like a child would do when she finds her mother. Tears flood down her eyes and her cries echoed throughout the room. Raiden could only cradle her head gently and silently patted her as she shed her tears onto his trench coat.

"It's alright. Let it all out, kid." Raiden said softly as he held Kanzashi. He then decided to bring Kanzashi over to his room which was not far from where they stood. After getting her set and serving her some hot tea, Raiden sat across from her from his bed.

"How are you feeling?" asked the blind boy.

Kanzashi nervously replied, "I…I think I am alright…maybe…I don't know."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I won't pressure you." said Raiden.

Kanzashi wasn't sure. Should she tell Raiden what she heard and saw or keep it a secret from him? It was a dilemma in her heart but this was Raiden. An inspiration to her, a source of wisdom and help, and most important of all, a friend. Something that Kanzashi did not have a lot of.

Sighing to herself and taking a deep inhale and exhale, Kanzashi spilled her heart out.

"I was going to bring sweets to Ichika as a thank you but then I overheard his conversation with my sister. The data he was given…I thought it was his IS, but it was my sister's!"

Raiden remained silent as he watched Kanzashi ask questions in panic and fear. He could see her shaking her cup uncontrollably as the tears threatened to fall from her face again. He has seen this expression before, not just in others but also in himself for he was like that as well at one point in his life before he was snapped out of it by his Mentor who showed him more to life than despair. Without Akane, Raiden would still be left in that ditch he dug himself in to.

"Why? Why did this happen? Did he know all of this? If he did, then why did he keep it from me?"

Having seen enough of her suffering, Raiden gently took her cup away and set it down before patting her head caringly. This caught the girl's surprise, who looked up to see her idol figure smile.

"Asking so many questions at once without obtaining any answers is pointless, Kanzashi." Raiden said. "It only brings you closer to a fate much worse than you can think of."

Raiden came over and sat by Kanzashi's side.

"I did not know either that the data used for your IS was your sister's. Whatever her intention was, don't you think it was out of the care and well-being of a little sister who wants her to succeed with her help?"

Kanzashi did not know what to say. His words of wisdom, like that of Optimus Prime, came back to her. Her otaku persona imagined the robot's voice being spoken from Raiden himself. It was those words that she kept in her mind that she had forgotten temporarily after she overheard her sister's conversation with Ichika. They were only reignited after Raiden gave her more wisdom to share.

She remained silent as Raiden continued his talk.

"The greatest weakness in most humans is their hesitancy to tell others how much they love them while they're alive. The bond between you and your sister is like a bridge waiting to be destroyed after being chipped and cracked so much. Every chip or crack that comes next may be the last and can destroy that bridge forever."

Raiden then placed his hand over Kanzashi's once again before he gave his advice.

"To accomplish your role in life, you must first learn to excel where you can and learn from where you cannot. You will make mistakes along the way but mistakes only define you as a human being, an imperfect yet perfect creature. Know yourself. Only then can you understand the power you have to bring change, no matter how small, to the world around you."

Kanzashi took in every word of wisdom from the Prime-like figure that emanated from his mouth. Doubt still crawled into her as she spoke one thing.

"But for what my sister did…it only proves that I am still so far behind her."

"And yet, that just shows you are making progress to reach to her level." Raiden said immediately after her statement. "She may be farther ahead than you, but that does not mean she does not stop on her road and look back with a look of arrogance. Instead, she runs back and helps you back on your feet so that you can continue your race."

Standing up from the bed, Raiden takes Kanzashi's hands into his and prompts her to stand up. He then utters his final words.

"Kanzashi, in any case, do yourself a favor: put aside logic, do what feels right."

Simple words from Raiden, but they hit Kanzashi hard in her heart and mind, as if they became permanent within. To put aside all logistical facts and simply go with the human emotion was something she had lost and forgotten. In the end, logic mattered little because it was human emotion and family that mattered more.

* * *

Raiden had left immediately as Kanzashi was left to ponder on the words of the lion. Two days passed since the announcement of the Tag Team Tournament and today became the day of that said tournament. Everything and everyone was getting ready when suddenly…

 **BOOM**!

An explosion rocked throughout the entire Academy, making everyone nearly lose their balance. Multiple "Emergency Warning" signs flooded the hallway as sirens blared the system.

Down at the control center, Yamada-sensei cried out to Chifuyu,

"We're under attack! Tracking multiple targets on sight!"

Screens projected some several unknown IS within the vicinity, mostly within the Arena.

"What are those?" asked Chifuyu.

"They look like the same unknown unmanned IS we encountered before. No way, those are advanced versions of them!" gasped Yamada-sensei.

"How many do we have?"

"Five targets, ma'am. They appear at each arena's pit, and now they're attacking the students with personal IS units who are on standby."

Chifuyu merely gritted her teeth. "Damn it, the timing is too soon."

Immediately, Chifuyu went onto the comms and declared an emergency action.

"Instructors, evacuate the students; all combat capable instructors, prepare to deploy."

"Understood!"

Everyone took to their orders and moved out but Chifuyu could only grit her teeth still, for a certain student of hers was missing on a mission outside the country.

 _Dammit, Miriam! If only you did not send Raiden away due to your bad timing…_

* * *

KLANG!*

The Souten Gatetsu launched an attack and continued on with another as Rin slammed the attacker, the Golem, away.

Rin was really excited over repaying the debt. In contrast, the opponent just responded with a presence an unmanned machine would have. It was far stronger than the one that appeared before, and the shield expanded greater.

In contrast to the metallic giant-like Golem from last semester, this Golem looked more like an iron girl. The armor was neatly arranged, outlining the female armor. The head had complex eye lens on it, and to obtain a wider range of view, the visor-shaped eyeline was changed to become a ram's horn Hyper Sensor as it charged in. And the parts that changed the most were definitely the arms. The area under the right elbow became a huge blade, and possessed strong combat capability.

In contrast, the left arm used the same design as the first Golem. It was a huge arm, but the modifications on the hand had 4 high intensity infrared lasers, and the cannons opened up in black holes like the caves of hell.

"You recovered and forgot all about your scars, right?"

The Impact Cannons on the shoulders Dragon's Roar opened. In the battle at the narrow pit, Rin used the maximum force to blow the Golem up—or that was what was supposed to happen. However, ball-shaped things formed around the machine, raising a powerful energy shield to defend against the Impact Cannons.

"What the heck, you! You're more of a defensive type compared to before!?"

"Rin, get down!"

On hearing that voice, Rin hurriedly dived. Cecilia flew quickly above her, spun to stop in mid-air, and fired the Starlight MKIII a few times.

"Damn it! This shield's really hard!... However!"

The BITs that floated nearby fired at the same time, and all the beams shot off in the wrong direction.

"I definitely won "

Cecilia flicked her finger in mid-air. At that moment, the beams created a huge refraction, firing at the blind spots of the unmanned machine. This was the BT weapons' attribute, Psycho Sympathy Flexible.

Sensing that there was no time to deploy the Shield Unit, the Golem's body danced in mid-air.

"What!?"

Because it was an unmanned unit, the body could do all sorts of complicated movements. And then, using precise thruster control, it dodged all the attacks.

"Ar-Are you kidding me!? Such defensive ability and mobility!? And—"

The Golem stretched its left arm towards Rin and Cecilia. The cannons were loaded, and beams started firing.

DOOONNN!*

An explosion once again shook the pit.

* * *

"What's with this thing!?"

The Golem that destroyed the ceiling accelerated and leaped at Laura. The huge arm wrapped around Laura's head, and then exerted force onto its fingers. The sensors on the head let out a sharp shrill, and the irritating alarm came. Still not understanding the situation, Laura quickly made a decision to get away from the bind, so she activated her left plasma saber. Thinking that she can slice the arm off, Laura quickly swung at it, but she got unexpectedly blocked by the right arm of the Golem.

"What!?"

Just when she was thinking that, her partner's reliable voice was heard.

"Laura!"

It was Charlotte. The .69 caliber Pile Bunker Grey Scale opened from the shield on the left arm.

"Damn it!"

DOONKK!*

After a huge explosion, the Golem's left arm separated from Laura.

But just when that arm separated, Laura saw a burning laser about to shoot out from the palm cannon.

"CHARLOTTE!"

"GET DOWN!"

Charlotte, who slid in between the Golem and Laura, immediately used her specialty Rapid Switch to summon three heavy physical shields.

"Kuu..."

Even if it was the Revive's sturdy physical shields, three heavy ones in fact, it couldn't defend against the attack completely. The few infrared lasers that went through grazed Charlotte's right arm.

"Cha-Charlotte!"

"I-I'm alright...I just got a bit of shield energy eaten off."

"Unforgivable. YOU BASTAARRRDD!"

Laura adamantly took off her left eyepatch, and just when the Golem, assisted by the support sensor to increase the firing speed, was about to fire the golden light, Laura used AIC at maximum power to attack the Golem.

"BLOW TO BITS!"

The large caliber of Gatling fire created a waltz of explosions and booms.

"UOOOOOHHH!"

"Laura, no! Get down!"

Charlotte's shout seemed distant, and just when this voice reached, Laura was shocked by the Golem that closed in immediately.

"Ignition Boost? And this efficiency—"

The blade stabbed into Laura.

"LLAAAAUUUUURRRAAAAA!"

* * *

"Ah-Ahh...Ah..."

Facing the sudden attacker, Kanzashi couldn't even deploy her IS, let alone come up with some plan. Unable to grit her teeth as she let out a cry, she backed away in fear.

 _Wha...What...What, is this...?_

Fear, overwhelming fear, disrupted all of Kanzashi's thoughts.

"Hii...!?"

The legs that were backing away stopped as they got blocked by the wall. Kanzashi trembled as she looked at the wall behind her before slowly looking back in front again. The pitch black unmanned machine IS Golem was closing in step by step, seeing the IS on Kanzashi's right hand that was in standby phase.

 _Some...one. Somebody, save me...!_

She forcefully closed her eyes, praying hard as if she was trying to grasp for a miracle. If a hero was here, he would definitely save her. That perfect hero who would come with the wind and rip the darkness apart would definitely appear.

But reality couldn't be like dreams and anime. One step, and another, the Golem closed in on Kanzashi.

"...ri-mu...ra...ku..."

The left arm of the Golem III slowly stretched over. Just when its fingertips were about to touch Kanzashi, Kanzashi screamed out,

"ORIMURA-KKKUUUNNNN!"

BEEPP*

She thought she saw a crack appear in the wall behind her, and the next moment, it got ripped apart.

"KANZASHIIII!"

"Orimura-kun...Orimura-kun, you're here..."

Rushing through the smoke and appearing in front of her was Ichika, undoubtedly a hero. The hero Kanzashi always wanted.

 _Orimura-kun..._

"UOOOOOOHHHHH!"

Ichika destroyed the wall and entered the pit, reaching his left hand out at the Golem III and letting the particle cannon gather energy to fire. But the Golem also used the left hand to fire high intensity infrared lasers, and the two energies collided in mid-air, causing a huge explosion.

"Kanzashi, activate your IS, quick! Or else you're going to get caught in the explosion!"

"Ye-Yes!"

Kanzashi's body was covered in light, and Uchigane Nishiki was deployed. Simultaneously, Ichika continued to fight with the Golem.

"This guy's hits are really heavy."

Although he was swinging his Yukihira Nigata in his right hand and Setsura modified into a blade in his left hand, the Golem blocked them all with its gigantic left hand.

"Ku...looks like I can't do this alone...Kanzashi!"

"Wha-What?"

"Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah."

Kanzashi immediately and hurriedly checked her systems. The energy levels were rising in her, and each of the parameters was showing OK.

 _I-I...Want to fight together!_

The moment she prayed for that, the energy levels rose tremendously in the Uchigane Nishiki as if it was responding to Kanzashi's wishes.

"Let's go, Uchigane Nishiki!"

Ichika's blade was deflected away, and he pulled his distance. Kanzashi flew into the gap like a tagout as she rushed to the Golem. The rapid-fire particle cannons on her back, Shunrai deployed under her armpits as they were aimed at the incoming enemy.

"I won't miss if it's this close!"

At such a close distance, the particle cannons fired out. But Kanzashi's attack got blocked completely by the changeable shield units of the Golem that were floating around.

"Get back, Kanzashi!"

"Wha-What do we do?"

As Ichika supported her with fire, Kanzashi obeyed and pulled her distance from the Golem.

"In such a narrow space, Uchigane Nishiki can't use its attribute."

"Bu-But, the protective barrier of the arena was activated."

"Oh yeah. The protective barrier of the arena was sliced apart by Reiraku Byakuya. We can go out to fight from that gap."

"I-I understand."

"Then, keep attacking at close range."

Ichika maintained his position so that he could activate Reiraku Byakuya as he wielded Yukihira Nigata at a low position. At the same time, Kanzashi summoned her close ranged equipment—the ultra-vibration halberd Trance and held it tightly with both hands.

"Let's go."

"Y-Yeah!"

Both Byakushiki and Uchigane Nishiki activated the large thrusters on the shoulder wings as Ichika and Kanzashi flew forward.

* * *

"HAAAAAAAHHH!"

Houki used the swords in both hands as she swung them each, but they got blocked by the Golem's right arm. The deflection caused its body to slant slightly, but it immediately used PIC to support itself and regain position. However, Tatenashi didn't let such an opening slip.

"Got you."

The unique aqua nanomachines caused the water to move at high frequencies, and the water spun around her to form a lance-shaped weapon Heavy Rain as she aimed at the body of the Golem's body, concentrating on a single point to thrust in.

But just millimeters from when it was about to be pierced through, that lance got held by the huge left hand.

"Houki-chan! Use the Fold-Out Armor on your back! Push me!"

"Go-Got it!"

The water lance's spinning ability got maximized. As a loud rubbing sound could be heard, the Golem's arm got worn away little by little.

"Ku! How hard is the armor it uses!"

"Tatenashi-san! I'm going!"

"Okay!"

With Houki's Akatsubaki pushing hard, Tatenashi and the Golem approached the gate of the arena. The three IS's continued to accelerate. Even though Tatenashi's Mysterious Lady and Houki's Akatsubaki were alerting them that they were too close to the gate of the arena, but both of them completely ignored it.

"Take this!"

Tatenashi increased the force on the lance, activating the other armament on the Heavy Rain, as a 4-barrel Gatling gun fired. The Golem was about to use the malleable shield to defend as a single unit, but it was pressed onto the gate of the arena by the front impact. The impact that came from the front and the powerful thrust behind pancaked Tatenashi, who grimaced with pain.

"Tatenashi-san!"

"I'm alright! Right now, we need to destroy that unmanned armor!"

"Bu-But...!"

"Okay okay, get to work."

On hearing Tatenashi grunt, Houki was surprised for a while, then increased the output of the Fold-Out Armor on her back. A huge pressure could be felt from behind. But even so, Tatenashi didn't stop her attack. The water lance and the Gatling gun mounted on it did damage the Golem, as sparks continued to fly.

"Tatenashi-san!"

"Not over yet. Onee-san's just getting started."

 _If only Raiden were here to help…_

Tatenashi supported the lance she was wielding with both hands with her left hand only, and reached with her right hand above.

"Take this, the biggest firepower of Mysterious Lady...!"

Water gathered around Tatenashi's palm. All the water on the Mysterious Lady was gathered, forming something.

"Th-This is...?" asked an astonished Houki.

"By gathering all the aqua nanomachines that were normally defending on the surface of the armor at a single point to attack, I can release a deathblow. It's called—"

Lance of Mistilteinn

This armament used every nanomachine's ultra-vibration to destroy. No matter how strong the armor was, it was as feeble as paper before it. And the nanomachines that enter the enemy's armor could use energy transfer to trigger a large explosion. The total energy would be equivalent to 4 mini gas bombs. It really was the final deathblow.

Perhaps feeling the flow of energy, the Golem hacked its large blade at Tatenashi. However, Tatenashi had no defense or resistance as she was setting up the Lance of Mistilteinn, and was thus wide open to attacks.

"KuaaAAHHH!"

Tatetanshi's IS armor got wrecked as the weapon broke through the Absolute Barrier and sliced the skin. Blood flowed as Tatenashi continued to take the one-sided beatdown. But that smile didn't disappear.

"Houki-chan."

"Ah, yes!"

"Set all of your Fold-Out Armor to defense, or else you're going to get caught in this."

"Okay...Ta-Tatenashi-san?"

"Fufu, this onee-san's an immortal."

Tatenashi smiled radiantly at Houki. Joking around like usual, care freely, Tatenashi's smile would definitely not disappear.

"Here I go...!"

"No-NOOO! DO YOU WANT TO DIE, TATENASHI-SAANN!?"

Tatenashi didn't answer. Instead, she just smiled and thought to herself.

 _Raiden, I hope you are watching!_

With an animal silhouette as a wildcat looming behind her, the Lance of Mistilteinn was activated, followed by a massive explosion that consumed a third of the arena.

* * *

"Wha-What just happened!?"

Having managed to escape from the 3rd Arena, Kanzashi and Ichika were attracted by the sudden explosion on the gate opposite.

"Is that, Houki and the rest...?"

They opened the IS private communication channel, but nobody responded. It seems like the unmanned machines were giving off interfering electronic signals since just now.

"Orimura-kun...!"

"Uwah!"

After being tugged by Kanzashi, Ichika spun in the air. The next moment, a high-intensity laser shot over.

"That was close!"

"I'll take him...!" cried Kanzashi but Ichika held her back in concern.

"Kanzashi!? Don't force yourself!"

"Orimura-kun, check the situation at the gate... on the other side..."

"Go-Got it!"

Kanzashi began fighting with the unmanned machine, and Ichika headed towards the gate that's giving off lots of smoke.

The halberd slash, the particle cannon shots, Kanzashi used these two things to engage in a fierce battle with the Golem. However, no matter whether it was the technical ability or the response, the enemy machine was always better as it started to gain advantage. Due to the strong interference, she still couldn't use the private channel. Thus, she didn't know how the situation was with Ichika, who had gone to the gate to check.

The Golem high intensity infrared lasers poured down like rain. Kanzashi quickly exerted the boosters on her legs to the maximum and evaded the attack. While backing away from the rubble in front of her, the aquamarine-colored armor that she knew entered her eyesight.

She couldn't be mistaken. It was the Mysterious Lady, Kanzashi's sister, Sarashiki Tatenashi piloted. Seized by unrest, Kanzashi switched the Hyper Sensor into super sensitive mode.

 _Where...? Where is it...?_

The irritating feeling couldn't be shaken away, and cold sweat broke out inexplicably as her heart pounded like crazy. Tatenashi was there. Her armor was badly wrecked, and there was almost none of it left. Tatenashi was lying there motionlessly, perhaps due to the grave injuries.

 _N...o... Lie...That's a lie..._

She wanted to scream, but she couldn't let her voice out. She wanted to shout that name out, but her mouth couldn't move. The world around her immediately distorted.

 _It's disgusting._ _Disgusting_.

Struck by nausea, Kanzashi turned to look at Golem. The unmanned machine that was unable to speak had a visor, a bodyline that was refined like a girl, a large left arm that didn't match it and a slender right arm that looked refined.

All this…IT'S DESPICABLE!

"...I'll...destroy you..."

Kanzashi murmured blankly, but this voice had unrivaled determination—no, killing intent in it.

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Deploying her wing thrusters, Kanzashi exerted the maximum output and used Ignition Boost. Firing one shot after another, Kanzashi raised both hands over her head and hacked the halberd at the Golem.

A sharp metallic sound echoed out, and the halberd that was sliced by the blade spun in the air.

But even so—

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Kanzashi was so agitated that she couldn't calm down. She quickly readied both particle cannons and shot wildly at close range.

DONK!* *DONK!* *DONK!*

The Golem continued to back away under the impact of the cannons, and Kanzashi pressed on as she closed in and continued firing.

"Un...forgive-able..."

She continued to fire without letting the malleable shield units interfere.

The sturdy Golem armor finally broke and revealed the core.

 _If I break this...!_

Just when Kanzashi saw a ray of success, a mechanical sound brought reality crashing down on Kanzashi cruelly.

She ran out of particle cannon energy.

"Ah-Ahh..."

She prayed as she squeezed the trigger, but the particle cannon couldn't be shot. Only that merciless sound of empty cartridges was left for Kanzashi.

"U—!?"

Lifting her head up, the Golem was right in front of her. Trembling and unable to move, Kanzashi got swept aside horizontally by the blade.

"Au!"

Kanzashi, who was beaten to the ground, remained in that position as she summoned her console.

 _A-Anything I can use, weapons...what...what..._

Gaching* *gaching*. Her teeth let out an unharmonious tune in fear. While unable to calm her trembling body down, she still checked on the machine's situation.

 _8 rapid-fire guided missiles Mountain Storm... But...this..._

Most likely, with such powerful interference, a normal lock-on system couldn't chase it effectively. No matter how potent the explosives were, they were pointless if they didn't hit.

 _But...if Orimura-kun can hold off the enemy...maybe..._

Just when such a thought appeared, Kanzashi was immediately hit by an unconscious Ichika, whose body was tossed aside to her. There were lots of scratches all over his armor, and it didn't look like he could hang on for long.

The other Golem that rushed over went beside Ichika and grabbed his head.

"St...op, it..."

Kanzashi tried to shout as tears dripped down her face.

 _It's, impossible...As expected, it's impossible...after all...Someone, like me..._

Kanzashi hated herself for being unable to take revenge for Tatenashi and only able to hit the ground weakly. But she didn't even have the guts to stand up.

It's scary, as she wouldn't even lift her head up.

 _Orimura-kun...I'm sorry..._

 _I'm sorry for pairing up with you._

 _I'm sorry for being unable to save you._

 _I'm sorry for being completely useless._

 _I'm sorry…that I was even born._

An image of Raiden in the form of Optimus Prime appeared before her.

 _Raiden-sama…forgive me…_

Kanzashi felt really lousy, and now, she just prayed to hurry up and disappear. And then, thinking about it unknowingly, she finally realized.

 _There's no such thing as a hero in this world._

Thinking about this, there was only despair in her future.

The Golem was closing in slowly. It raised its blade, and swung it down. This movement looked really slow for some reason, and Kanzashi just looked at it, forgetting to even close her eyes.

 _Ahh...I'll most likely die now._

Thinking that, everything else became meaningless. A meaningless life, a boring time. Everything and anything would vanish in the next few seconds. She didn't feel relieved. Neither did she feel fear. She just felt completely empty.

ZOOM*...

"—Huh?"

The blade didn't land on Kanzashi, and the figure that appeared in front of her hugged her as if it wanted to protect her. Tightly, it hugged her.

"Onee...chan...?"

The figure hugging her tightly was Tatenashi. She used the last ounce of her strength to fly over and protect her little sister with her body. And blood spilled out as she took a slash on her back.

"Onee..."

She called out softly, and Tatenashi's body fell.

"ONEE-CHAN! ONEE-CHAN!"

 **PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA…**

It was already winter within the Communist dictatorship country. Raiden had been wearing some typical winter clothing meant mainly for soldiers like the Russians. He didn't really like it as while it kept him warm, it was also itchy and big. Raiden was observing the Kim Il-Sung Square, where the KPA had begun their marching parade in front of their Supreme Leader. The surrounding buildings were based on Soviet architectural influences with some Korean elements mixed into it. National guards were placed around the building for the parade was in session.

Raiden's mission from Miriam was to observe the North Koreans and their intentions for the KPA had been acting it up lately and increasing in number and weapons along with nuclear arsenal. Already was South Korea, Japan, China, and the United States on red alert and kept all four eyes on the Communist country.

Raiden was watching from a ruined building to the south with his eyes. With his binoculars, he watches as the KPA, along with their own IS, marched with their arms forward and heads turned sideways to look at the Supreme Leader and his generals. He looked it over to see the Supreme Leader with that smile of his while waving to his troops.

"Kim-Soo Lee…you magnificent bastard, I read your book!" Raiden shouted to himself.

Turns out because of his pride, Kim-Soo Lee, who was former military, wrote a book about the tactics he used in warfare by studying the Korean War tactics from both Americans and Koreans. Making his own book and publishing it was a bad idea, one Raiden even found to be stupid.

With everything sorted out of the way, Raiden prepared to return but as he walked out of the building undetected he suddenly felt something hit his chest. It was not anything physical but more mental as it made him collapse and disorientated his vision temporarily. His head was thriving with pain as he held it before a vision came to him.

Raiden saw Tatenashi in her IS suit, dead with blood pouring out from her back as the pool increased more and more. Raiden was shocked and aghast and quickly picked her up in his arms but she was unresponsive. She then reduced to more blood as her body disappeared from Raiden's arms and it covered his arms.

This could not be true. Tatenashi could not be dead. His roommate, the SCP, and more importantly, one of his beloveds, dead before his eyes. It cannot be.

"No…Tatenashi!"

Snapping out of the vision given to him, Raiden quickly deployed his IS and made way for the Academy. He accelerated his speed, ignoring the fact that anyone that spotted a light in the sky traveling across. Raiden had to hurry fast as he used his powers to increase the thrusters beyond maximum and hurried over to the Academy.

"Hold on, Tatenashi! I am on my way! Just hold on!"

Unknown to Raiden, a strange alien-like jet was following behind him and pursued him, staying hidden so as to keep in pursuit. Its purple navigation frame kept a lock on him, trailing behind him back to the Academy. ( **Author's Note:** **For reference to the jet, just imagine Megatron's jet-mode from the 2007 Transformers movie** )

* * *

Kanzashi hugged Tatenashi, who collapsed onto the floor, and shook her body. The warm blood covered Kanzashi's hands. It was then that she found herself in a virtual world within her own subconscious, with her image a blue color and her sister's red.

"No...don't...onee-chaaan..."

The red image of Tatenashi turned around to her with a smile on her face.

"Ara...how many years, has it been, since you last called me that...?"

"Onee..."

Tatenashi smiled. She looked really happy, as if the only thing that made her relax was that her little sister was okay.

"Why...must you...do that?"

"To save my sister. Do I need a reason...?"

"But! But...it-it's useless..."

"Useless...of course not."

"It's useless! There's no such thing as a hero in this world!"

"Is that so...?"

Smiling no matter when, Tatenashi was always so gentle.

"But...but...!"

Kanzashi still couldn't hold her tears back. Seeing her little sister like this, Tatenashi gave a 'Really, you...' look as she gently stroked Kanzashi's head.

"...It's not, useless..."

"Huh...?"

It sounded soft, but she could hear it clearly. It was Ichika's voice as his image appeared but in green color.

"A flawless...hero, it doesn't exist...A flawless hero like that...would never cry, and would never smile..."

To some people, even Raiden, Ichika was embittered, tattered, awkward-looking, and pathetic. However, this figure looked even more dazzling than anything else.

"Therefore. I'm a human. I can cry, I can laugh, and I do fail. However—I won't give up! I won't run away from a battle. That's what a human is!"

Kanzashi could remember Raiden's words form their last conversation when he was fixing her IS. Raiden's image came in the form of a silver lion.

 ** _You will make mistakes along the way but mistakes only define you as a human being, an imperfect yet perfect creature. Sometimes, out of those mistakes come the most amazing things._**

"Wh-Why...? Are, aren't you...afraid of...death...?"

Seeing Kanzashi look so troubled, Ichika curled his lips up.

"Of course I'm scared."

"If that's the case...why...?"

"Well, I'm more afraid to run than to fight. If I run, I feel that I won't ever be myself again."

"Why..."

Staring blankly at Ichika's back as he left, tears welled up in Kanzashi's eyes.

 _It's alright if I can be that strong._ _It's alright if I have the courage to fight._

It was a declaration full of decisiveness. To Kanzashi, whether it was the emboldened words or the faith that matched it, they didn't exist anymore.

"I...I'm really a coward..."

She kept thinking of reasons not to fight, yet she didn't take a step out. Weak, ugly, cowardly, and unreasonable.

"I...really can't, do this...onee-chan..."

Crying could be heard. She felt so unhappy that she wanted to go crazy, yet she couldn't move.

"You're not useless."

"Huh...?"

Kanzashi felt that she heard Tatenashi's voice, and thus hurriedly looked at her chest. However, Tatenashi, who lost consciousness, didn't move at all.

"What's so bad about it? Weak, ugly, cowardly, and unreasonable. Who made us humans anyway?"

That's right. It was Tatenashi's voice. Is that the illusion that normally happened? But this voice that touched her heart was filled with warmth.

"Therefore, Kanzashi-chan. Just be weak, just smile. Accept all these. Once you accept that, you can stand up, because..."

"I-I'm human...?"

"That's right. And also—you're the little sister I'm so proud of."

Gently. It felt that she was gently smiling back along with the hand to her cheek. Kanzashi then remembered the words of wisdom from Raiden before he departed.

 ** _Put aside logic, do what feels right._**

Kanzashi put Tatenashi softly onto the floor, not moving away as she stood up on both legs.

"I'm going...onee-chan."

Her tears weren't flowing anymore as her eyes were replaced with determination and confidence. Before she departed, Tatenashi handed her an Aqua Crystal.

"A good luck charm. Use it when you really need to most. Good luck, little sister."

Houki came by to Ichika's side as she used her Kenran Buto to give Ichika some energy needed for his Reiraku Byakuya. Oh how she wished Raiden were here right now and she wondered where her beloved lion was. Little did she know that the lion was on his way.

* * *

Kanzashi was already in the middle of her own battle with another Golem.

 _If I use the Multi Lockon System, I can create...an opening to attack...for Ichika..._

However, Uchigane Nishiki which Kanzashi pilots doesn't have an automatic tracking function process on it.

Kanzashi closed her eyes and gathered her concentration. She then opened her eyes suddenly, and the armor on the arms and legs scattered into light particles and disappeared.

The 20 digits of hers that were released seemed to be confirming their existence as they move about.

"I can do it...Uchigane Nishiki, manual guided system...activate, 48 shots salvo."

Floating with the power of the PIC, Kanzashi opened her arms wide like a saint bearing the cross.

Holographic keyboards appeared at her digits, one above and one below at all the limbs. The 5 digits of her hands and feet were assigned 2 ball-shaped keyboards each, 8 keyboards altogether, and she started entering all the information manually.

"Atmospheric conditions...mobility of each missile, time lag...interference between the explosions. Should be able to create an offensive power large enough..."

Several windows opened up in front of Kanzashi. In other words, she was guiding each of the 48 hi-capability missiles manually.

She inhaled some air, and exhaled it. She cleared her thoughts, gathered her concentration to the maximum, and then…

"Can you run away from this? Mountain Storm!"

The 6 missile covers on the wing thrusters on her shoulders slid open. In the meantime, the 6 groups of 8 consecutive shots were formed by particles, and all 48 shots were ready to be fired.

"Give me your strength, Uchigane Nishiki!"

With booming sounds, the missiles flew out at the same time.

"Direct link, check...! Manual lock, start...!"

The missiles rushed at the Golem. This time, they all flew in differently, using complex 3-dimensional movements to close in at a fast rate.

The Golem deployed the malleable shield, and intended to shoot down the missiles with its left arm. However, the guided missiles that were supported manually dodged and accelerated like the Golem as they changed directions and accelerated, thoroughly crushing the middle of the malleable shield units. Having lost its defensive ability, the Golem hurriedly used its thrusters to back away. However, it didn't get a chance to rest, as the next wave of missiles came roaring like wolves. The legs, arms, shoulders, waist, head, abdomen. It got swallowed by the storm of explosions caused by the missiles.

But even in this situation, the Golem still wanted to change the situation and gathered all its energy on the left arm. It wanted to shoot the infrared lasers at Kanzashi, who was defenseless as she controlled the missiles.

"I WON'T LET YOU!"

Appearing in front of Kanzashi was Houki. She raised her arms forward, deployed her Fold-Out Armor, and created a powerful energy shield, blocking all the infrared lasers.

At the same time, the Golem changed the infrared lasers to high-efficiency rapid-fire as it tried to break through Houki's shield.

"Ku! Akatsubaki! Show it to me, your strength!"

 _I hope you are watching this Raiden…_

As if responding to Houki, the shoulder unit on Akatsubaki slid open. That shape looked like a huge crossbow with an arrow on it.

"What, is this...?"

The panel that suddenly popped out showed this message.

«Experience level gained to a certain value. Construction of new equipment is complete. Variable output Blaster Rifle Thousand Pierces. It's an outstanding piercing armament with the largest firing range-»

"Alright! Enough with the ridiculous explanation!"

Shutting the window, Houki kept her shields open and bent down. This is a weapon that could vary its output. It's unlikely to hit without using all the PIC. Without knowing why, Houki understood it all, and summoned the scope on her right-eye.

"I'll take your left arm."

Using her Fold-Out Armor like usual, the crimson red energy bullet was shot out under huge compression. The attack came from the shoulders on both sides, and it rushed forward with shockingly scorching heat that burned the land, and the Golem's left arm was blown away.

But since it was an unmanned machine, it wouldn't feel pain.

The Golem barely tried to support the body that lost balance, and used Ignition Boost to rush at Houki.

"I'll leave it to you, Ichika."

"Okay!"

Flying above Houki's head, Ichika used Ignition Boost to enter the battle. Wielding Yukihira Nigata in his right hand, he let out the extremely powerful energy of Reiraku Byakuya.

The Golem III used the blade on it's right side to slash to the left. And Ichika used both hands to raise the blade above his head, exerting all his strength into it. The Golem's blade was soon destroyed by Ichika's Yukihira Nigata.

"It's over now!"

Using a horizontal slash, he ripped the Golem's hard armor to reveal the core in it. Ichika used all his strength in his left hand to smash the block-shaped object that was glowing golden, and the Golem III was knocked aside. The core of the IS was made of a rare metal of adamantium. Though it was supported with a power assist, it wasn't something that could be destroyed with one hit.

However—

"It's a charm."

Between the core and the parts was an object that was flashing. The Aqua Crystal had the functions of the Aqua Nanomachines. It was the IS Mysterious Lady's armament.

And naturally, the pilot is—

"Fuu..."

Sarashiki Tatenashi sighed and relaxed i her own pool of blood. Though all blurry due to the severe loss of blood, that hand of hers raised up to the sky, and the movements of the fingers looked like they were holding a switch. Tatenashi snapped the finger. The next moment, Golem was absorbed by the explosion within, and vanished without a trace.

"Yeah..."

Using her last ounce of strength, Tatenashi gave a thumbs up. Seeing her like this, Ichika, Houki and Kanzashi all looked like it couldn't be helped, gave thumbs up and started smiling.

The battle was at last over.

* * *

All of the IS Golems laid dead on the field. Walls were destroyed, fire was everywhere, and IS parts decorated the burnt field.

Tatenashi was held up by her sister even as blood continued to pour from her face. Everyone else had their own sort of injuries to contend with. Even still, they all gave a high five to each other for a mission accomplished.

But the victory was not going to last forever as they heard something on the communications channel from Chifuyu herself.

"Incoming projectile! Clear the area now!"

Whatever the object was, it was falling fast. It was bright orange and glowing like a meteor as it fell dead center into the arena. Smoke was left of the impact before it cleared and gave way to everyone seeing Raiden, who was on all fours and with his IS Lion Heart somewhat damaged. Electricity coursed over him due to the damage of the IS and some parts of it were cracked. It was not enough to subdue him but the pain of it still burned within. At least the weapons systems were working.

Raiden tried to stand but struggled since his right leg was in pain as it took the hit from something that was chasing his tail before he crash-landed. He was picked up by Houki who immediately came to his aid. He saw care on her face but also an annoyed scowl.

"Where were you?!" asked a demanding Houki.

Raiden had to keep it professional from his line of work and merely said,

"I was delayed. Shot down by something in the sky."

Charlotte came over to support Raiden on the other side, who also bore the same expression of worry like Houki.

"Mou, you need to take care of yourself more nowadays, Raiden."

"Relax, Charlotte. I've had worse." Raiden said but it did not convince the French girl easily.

After being helped up, Raiden goes immediately to Tatenashi who was being held by her sister, still injured and bleeding. Tatenashi turned to her left and saw her beloved before his helmet retracted back, showing his worrisome face.

Smiling, she said, "About time you came back."

"You had me worried, hence why I came rushing back." said Raiden as he kneeled to the floor. This made the girl laugh before she coughed up some blood. She retracted her breathing as she and Raiden held hands in care, the SCP relaxing back in her little sister's arms.

"We'll get you healed up. Help is already on the way." said Raiden, prompting the girl to squeeze his hand with a smile.

Charlotte and Houki did not know what to say for the atmosphere between Raiden and Tatenashi. Initially, they were a bit ticked off that the SCP would have the lion as her roommate and as the Vice President of the Student Council and that she would do indecent things to him. But seeing a side of their care and trust for each other, they gave a sigh and accepted it. Still, both of them wanted to keep Raiden away from Tatenashi by any means.

A comm link interrupted the sweet moment as Raiden stood up and answered it from Chifuyu who was giving them another warning.

"Heads up! We got another one incoming."

Chifuyu then thought to herself as she read the energy signatures.

 _This one's different._

Everyone looked to see another Golem stand on top of the arena's roof by a tower. They all groaned and gritted their teeth as they had one more contender to deal with. But before they could get ready, something pierced the Golem from behind, giant claws that ran through. The Golem screamed before it was lifted high and split in half horizontally. Parts were shattered all over as electricity coursed through the corpse before it went offline. And behold, another IS stood in its place, with its hands holding the two separate halves of the Golem.

The new IS looked like the IS Fang Quake, used by Iris Calling, a Representative of America, but it also had illegal components mixed into it, like the 48-missile targeting system like Uchigane Nishiki's, Ignition Boost as usual, and other illegal components not normally found on an IS. It was also black in color, with a purple reactor-like component on its chest. But what is worth nothing of this IS was that there was no human pilot in it, much like the Silver Gospel. It looked more alien than anything, more robotic even.

"What is that?" asked Ichika.

"I don't know. Another enemy?" asked Rin.

"Or a friend?" asked Charlotte.

Raiden kept his eyes on this IS as he used his Hyper Sensor mask to scan the IS for its data and energy. It was strange though for its form was menacing and looked powerful. Energy readings were read weirdly as Raiden could detect something within the "brain" of the IS, not to mention that there is no IS core in it according to his scans.

The IS, named Behemoth Deception according to Raiden's scans, looked onto the battlefield and scanned each lifeform present along with there is. Not one of them was the target needed until it spotted Raiden and locked on. It's sensors and optics turned orange as the IS tossed aside the two body parts of the Golem it ripped in half, one to the ground from the right hand and the other over to the side with the left.

Spreading its wings out from behind its back, the IS jumped to the side in a spin before it astonishingly transformed into an alien-like jet of some kind and charged forth towards Raiden at great speeds. To Raiden's shock, it was the same jet that shot him down.

"Wait… it can do that?!" asked an aghast Ichika. Everyone else felt the same except for Raiden who was bracing for its impact.

Raiden had to get the timing right. At the last moment, Raiden jumped forward but his hands were caught onto the wings of the IS, dragging him out of the arena and into the unknown.

Everyone yelled at Raiden's name as he was carried away but they were all powered down and exhausted. They already had too many injuries and their IS needed repairs. With Raiden now left to face an unknown enemy, what could they possibly do to assist their fellow student? How can they get to him if he ever calls for backup?

There was only one solution.

"All of you, get yourselves healed and IS repaired. I'll go get Raiden!"

Chifuyu's voice was heard over the comm as she hurried over to one part of the IS Academy no one but her knew. After typing in the codes to enter through the door she arrived at, she opened up a large door to find herself before something before donning it on.

* * *

Raiden was hanging onto the IS golem Behemoth Deception, who was in its jet mode. Through a series of turns, they crashed into a corner of a building, taking it off when they crashed through it before another series of turns from Deception occurs. The IS tries to fling Raiden off through a series of barrel rolls but the lion holds on tightly.

It was then that the golem and Raiden crashed through a building that was part of the IS Academy. There was not anything special to this building other than the fact that it was a dormitory. Leaving a massive wake of destruction in its path, both Raiden and Deception exited out as the latter transformed back into its robot mode and tackled Raiden on the ground through a tumble.

Raiden breaks off the tumble and flees throughout the Academy and into the city as Deception quickly follows behind. It once again transforms to its jet mode before taking off in pursuit.

Raiden, damaged and disorientated temporarily, tries to get his bearings but dodges incoming missiles from the incoming jet until one of them hits his side and sends him toppling to the ground. He tumbles all over the street and destroys it but with perfect timing and technique, he gets back upright on his right knee before his right foot hits the bumper of an incoming car behind him.

Everyone in the vicinity was screaming and wondering what was going on. Raiden could hear siren alarms directing people to safety along with the screams of children and babies holding desperately to their parents in fear. Raiden had heard enough and watches as Behemoth Deception transforms into its IS mode and charges at Raiden. Raiden, with his helmet locked on to his head, proceeds to grapple with Behemoth Deception hand to hand before an intense fight breaks out.

With a hand in the shape of a pistol, Deception tries to shoot at Raiden but he dodges and keeps the gun at bay with his hands before he pulls out his gunblade in its sword mode. Raiden tries to attack but gets elbowed in the face along with a knee and is tackled to the ground. Deception lands a punch on Raiden before the lion counters back with the hilt of his sword to the face, stunning the golem as Raiden kicks it off.

Raiden tries to cut Behemoth Deception with his gunblade but it is blocked and he is met with an uppercut to the face, flipping him backwards. Raiden gets up before he manages to block Deception's attack, headbutt it, and grab it by the head.

Raiden slams the golem to the ground that was met with an explosion until he gets kicked back, tumbling before he recovers quickly thanks to his sword sticking into the ground to slow his halt. He looks up to see Deception jump and turn before it kicks him in the face. Turning around and ready to stab, Raiden proclaims,

"You have no soul!"

Raiden tries to stab directly into Behemoth Deception's chest. She allows it but feels no pain as the sword disintegrates into molten metal with a buzzing sound as she holds it back. In response to Raiden's comment, Deception merely replies in a calm, feminine voice,

"That is why I have no fear."

She then grabs Raiden's head, who is defenseless against it due to the sound of her voice, and says,

"You die!"

Deception throws Raiden again, sending him about ten feet back. As Raiden gets up, his face gets kicked by Deception and he is thrown backwards before he flips onto his front side. Deception's hands then change as she stands up and her changes somewhat.

"Join your fellow students in extinction!"

Her hands come together to form one long fusion cannon of sorts that required her to hold it with two hands. Although she held two mini ones in each hand that formed from her hands, combining them together made it even more terrifying and powerful.

Raiden staggers forwards and draws out one of his Velvet Nightmares from his right hip, firing a heavy round and hitting Behemoth Deception on the right shoulder. Deception staggers back a little before she regains her footing, takes aim with her fusion cannon, and fires at Raiden. On impact, Raiden is flung backwards into the building far behind him. His back hit the wall hard, leaving a crater in it as the pedestrians inside the building fall back and took to cover. Raiden fell back to the ground and groaned in pain at his back hurting so hard.

He looks up in time to see Behemoth Deception about to jump on top of him and crush him with her foot, making him get out of the way before she lands and leaves a crater. She then turned to her left and procures a large shield on her left hand before she utilizes a one-handed double-bladed sword on her right. She twirls it around before posing in a charging position of sorts.

"How could you betray us like this? Why throw away your life so recklessly for them?"

Raiden, using his powers, creates a makeshift double-edged axe that spawns from the black crystals emerging from the ground up that glowed purple and sparked with electricity. He then creates another weapon from the black crystals but in the form of his gunblade in its blade form.

"That is a question you should ask yourself, Madoka."

Raiden charges in and with his axe, swipes Behemoth Deception's shield away before impaling her shoulder with his crystal gunblade and push her to the same building the lion crashed in. Raiden tries to vertically cut down Deception with both of his weapons but is blocked by her shield and double-bladed sword.

"I will crush you with my bare hands!" yelled Behemoth Deception.

"You are more than welcome to try!" retorted Raiden. He was then headbutted by Behemoth Deception before he was kicked back by the Golem and tumbled backwards before he charged in again. He manages to dodge underneath her blade that she swung in a spin from left to right.

After trading strikes with their sword, Deception hits Raiden with her shield, making the pilot of Lion Heart spin and do a horizontal strike but Deception manages to block it before copying Raiden's move but he dodges it as well. He is then hit again by the shield before the two come back to battle with their blades.

Deception then launches missiles from her back pods at Raiden, prompting him to back off and dodge them or take to cover. Raiden was now at a disadvantage but continued to fight Madoka even with the explosions occurring all around him.

Raiden comes around in a spin and hits Deception in the face with a kick. Raiden tries to attack but with his head exposed, he is met with a knee to the face, pushing him backwards against a not so protective wall from the rest of the missiles locked onto him. He tries to shoot down the missiles with his lascannons and Velvet Nightmares but a few of them manage to pull through and hit Raiden dead on, exploding on impact and sending him tumbling across the area.

Getting up despite all the chaos surrounding him, he sees Behemoth Deception transform into her jet mode and take off. Raiden activates his wings and takes off as well, in pursuit of the Golem. Deception was aware of being followed so she sent some more missiles against Raiden, prompting him to dodge them again before, with his lascannons, he manages to lock onto Deception and fire. Disabling one of her engines, Deception goes down but not before Raiden gets on top of her and plummets her to the ground.

Transforming back immediately despite the explosion that followed after her fall, Deception brings out her weapons again and engages with Raiden in close combat. The two of them were now fighting on a stone bridge that kept its strength up despite edges being chipped off from the two's fight.

"You were always the best of us." Deception said as she blocked Raiden's constant attacks with her shield. Taking her shield away with his axe, Raiden tries to stab Deception's head but only manages to scratch her cheek. Behemoth Deception continued her taunt.

"But you could never make the hard decisions!"

Deception jumps from a wall into a spin and attacks Raiden with her sword only for Raiden to parry it. Raiden attacks again but is blocked by the shield as Deception counters with swinging her blade in a spin from left to right as Raiden dodges it.

"I will…" Deception blocks Raiden's strike from his axe with her blade before she manages to disarm it from him. "…have my revenge!"

Raiden attacks with his crystal gunblade but is blocked by the shield before it is kicked out of the way by Deception.

"No!" cried Raiden. It was then that Behemoth Deception used one end of her double-bladed weapon to impale Raiden's shoulder and dislocate it as she brought the blade out. Raiden cries in pain as blood pours forth from his good arm. His crystal gunblade falls to the ground lifeless.

Raiden is hit once again by the shield as he now plummets to the ground and is stabbed in the other shoulder by Deception before she takes it out. Trying to drag himself away, Raiden uses his left arm to crawl.

"You and I were equal without match, without number. But here…there is only one!"

Deception tosses her shield away and grasps her double-bladed sword at a defenseless Raiden, ready to destroy her enemy. She raises it high as the tension and buildup had finally reached its peak.

But then suddenly…

[BOOM]

[BOOM]

[BOOM]

As if time had slowed down a little, three blasts were heard from someone who was wearing a black suit of armor, fit for a human, and carrying a modified IS shotgun which was in reality a fusion cannon. Shooting at Deception in her left hand and reloading with her right was Chifuyu Orimura, who arrived just in time with her IS Kurazakura as she ran towards Raiden's rescue.

Deception, severely injured because her shield energy was down along with parts of her IS blown off from the three blasts, tries to impale Raiden but is grabbed by Chifuyu from behind and thrown back to the side of the bridge.

"Get away from my brother!" yelled Chifuyu as she continued her assault on Deception and injure the Golem even more severely with her handheld shotgun and her sword that she pulled out.

Deception blocks Chifuyu's strike and goes for another with her blade still attached to her hand. Chifuyu blocks it and pushes the Golem back. The Brunhilde tries to charge in but her sword is swiped away by Deception and receives a punch to the face from her right. She is then side-kicked backwards until Chifuyu puts away her shotgun and sword and decides to charge in, dodging all the fusion cannon rounds from one of Behemoth Deception's blasters. After charging in and kicking her in the stomach, it plummets Deception back before Chifuyu charges in again but with some sort of electric glove on her hand.

With a scream, Chifuyu grabs Deception's head and slams it onto the ground before activating the gauntlet and sending electricity to the Golem's face, blinding its optic sensors temporarily. Behemoth Deception blindly grabs Chifuyu by the face and throws her back but the Brunhilde flips around, lands smoothly, and charges back in. With Deception blind, Chifuyu delivers a series of punches to the Golem, each of them with more fury than the last for what the machine did to Raiden, each of them fuming with anger. She doesn't just attack the face but also the chest area and each punch took out parts of the IS machine.

After a punch that sends Deception back, she adjusts her optic sensors and sees Chifuyu, with a yell, come in with a perfect punch to the face that sends the Golem flying backwards and crashing into a building before landing on the ground. Chifuyu approaches the Golem with her sword in hand as Deception struggles to get up.

"My vengeance…" Deception weakly says before her chest meets Chifuyu's right foot on top of her, pinning her down.

"This isn't how it is supposed to end!"

Chifuyu, with that cold look, merely replies, "On the contrary, little sister…" Chifuyu then raises her sword high, ready to slice the Golem vertically.

"I could not have allowed this to end otherwise."

Deception looks on with fear as she sees the Brunhilde ready to make the final blow. Chifuyu finally gives the strike and a loud thud is heard but to the Brunhilde's shock and awe, something amazing had happened.

Behemoth Deception was able to catch the sword with two hands. A silence atmosphere ensured but time did not feel like it stopped in its tracks. The color of red then illuminated from its optics and with a yell, Deception stands up, while clinging onto Chifuyu's blade. The Brunhilde struggled to get her sword away from the Golem who held it tight.

Deception could not help but ask this one question, mocking Chifuyu.

"How was it that you put it, Nee-san? I could not have allowed this to end otherwise?"

Deception then breaks the sword clean from Chifuyu's blade before in one swift motion, stabs Chifuyu straight down on the shoulder, penetrating through her IS and drawing flesh blood. The action of it exhilarated Behemoth Deception for she then delivers a blow to the kidney. Chifuyu tries to counterattack with her right arm to Deception's face but it did little as Deception delivered two heavy blows to Chifuyu's face. Chifuyu turns around in a spin to see Deception deliver one final uppercut to her before her left foot is grabbed by Deception's left hand. She is then slammed to the ground before tossed back into a wall, making the Brunhilde cough up some blood in the process.

Chifuyu felt immense pain through her body. Maybe a rib or two was cracked but her right shoulder was definitely out of commission. Her legs felt like dead weight and hardly able to move. With her other arm, she pulls the broken sword blade out of her shoulder and looks to see Deception pick up her shotgun fusion cannon from the ground before she strangles Chifuyu with her right hand and slams her behind to the ground again while posturing her up. Raiden, still with a skewered shoulder, was on one knee before he finally stands up after catching his breath and adapting to his pain.

"So…it finally comes to this. For only one of us could walk away alive."

Behemoth Deception releases her hold over Chifuyu and pushes her away as Chifuyu crawls away in pain. Deception points to Raiden with the shotgun and asks him one question.

"Besides, who would you be without me, Raiden?"

Raiden, fed up with this machine, merely replied,

"Time to find out." Raiden retracts his lion helmet to his face.

With his axe lying in front of him, Raiden picks it up and throws it at Behemoth Deception's chest. Deception was cut off-guard and tried to fire the shotgun but missed as the axe entered into her chest. Raiden takes it off as he spins, pulling Deception forward onto the ground and pins her right arm down along with her body. Spinning around one last time, he embeds the axe onto Deception's right side of her face and pulls it backwards and outwards, tearing the head and spine from the machine's neck. Sparks fly all over along with oil and smoke as the body of Deception falls backwards and forwards onto its stomach and Raiden drops his axe, with Deception's head still attached to it before the severed head shuts down for good.

Raiden limps over to Chifuyu, who scoots herself to a wall and leans back into it. Blood still pours from her mouth as the Brunhilde positions herself in a comfortable spot despite her wounds. Raiden comes by to her right side and sits down next to her.

"The medics are on their way. In about 10 minutes." Chifuyu said. She must've given a call for medical support to her coordinates for both her and Raiden, along with a salvage team to bring the remains of Behemoth Deception back to their lab for further study.

"Think this is going to cause an international incident?" asked Raiden.

"Let me worry about the press. If need be, your boss can help me with it."

The two remained silent even though they were bleeding out a bit. The last time they had a one on one conversation, Chifuyu was drunk and Raiden had to take care of her. Once Chifuyu woke up, she saw Raiden sleeping with her but she cuddled along anyway, apologizing in a whisper to Raiden.

"Raiden…" Chifuyu broke the silence.

"Hmm?" Raiden asked as he turned his head to the left.

"I'm sorry…for what I said." said Chifuyu with her head down. "I just—"

"Hey. It's alright." interrupted Raiden, surprising the Brunhilde a bit. "I do not blame you for speaking against my Mentor given your history but I do blame myself for slapping you. That went too far."

"I probably deserved it." said Chifuyu. "You had every right to speak for her sake. And I already know from Miriam about her recent history and passing. In any event though Raiden,"

Raiden saw Chifuyu with her left hand try to reach his left hand to which he complied as the two linked their hands together, their fingers intertwined.

"I do not want to lose you again. And that is a promise I am willing to uphold. Because…you are my little brother."

Raiden smiled back, as if he was at peace with the past.

"And I do not want to break off our kinship over an argument. Because you will always be my big sister."

Chifuyu was happy, so happy that her heart fluttered for the first time to get her kinship with Raiden back. They stayed away from each other for too long over one argument and so it was time to correct that. Tired of exhaustion, Chifuyu rested her head on Raiden's left shoulder as Raiden rested his head on hers. The two stayed in that position, nearly falling asleep, before paramedics arrived to take them back to the Academy for some treatment.

* * *

"Un..."

Her consciousness still blurry, Tatenashi slowly blinked twice. The white ceiling's dyed orange.

"O-Onee-chan..."

Tatenashi turned to the voice who called her. Kanzashi was probably waiting for Tatenashi to recover, and stood up from the chair.

"Are you, awake...?"

"Yes... This is...?"

Tatenashi still wasn't fully awake, and she asked Kanzashi in a somewhat dazed tone.

"The school's, medical office..."

"Not the infirmary...owowoww."

Her mind still blank, Tatenashi tried to stand up, but the moment she was about to do that, she was stopped by her pain and a panicking Kanzashi.

"You still can't move, yet...it's not fatal...but, your wounds aren't light..."

"Okay..."

After that, Tatenashi and Kanzashi continued to remain silent for a while. It had been a long time since the sisters had had such a conversation. Both of them were thinking that. The older sister who was always mindful of her younger sister's thoughts. And the younger sister who feared the older sister.

However, those things felt like lies, and both of them naturally became silent.

 _It's really thanks to Ichika...and Raiden unexpectedly._

Speaking of Raiden though, last time she saw Raiden was when he got ambushed by that mysterious enemy, dragging him back outside the Academy and into the city. Immediately, she asked her sister,

"Raiden…what happened?"

"He's alright…he brought you here, and that enemy he fought is defeated."

Tatenashi sighed a relief, thankful that her beloved lion was alive. She will have to thank him later in her own way once she recovers.

Tatenashi remembered about asking Ichika to pair up with Kanzashi. Thinking about it, it was really strange.

 _Why did I ask Ichika in the first place?_

At that time, she didn't really realize something, but she just believed it. That it'd be okay to leave it to him. Right now though, she thought only Raiden. She'd have to thank him for his unexpected role in helping her little sister. And she also couldn't help but blush at what he did to help her.

She turned her head over to the sky that was now setting its sun, mesmerizing in its beauty. It was then for a moment she slipped into a day dream, a picture of her and Raiden together, holding hands before going for a kiss. Strangely enough, she also saw herself and Raiden holding a young child, a baby in her arms.

"Onee-chan..."

"Wha-What is it?"

"What happened...? Your face, it's red...?"

Not good. It seemed her daydreaming was about to show.

"Most likely due to the sunset..." She quickly said.

"Really...?"

Silence took place after that. After about ten minutes, Kanzashi hesitated, and finally decided to say.

"We, erm, y'know...onee-chan..."

"Mn?"

"I'm sorry...for all this time..."

"Don't worry about that."

"Bu-But..."

She labeled others randomly, created a wall on her own, and kept running. Facing herself like this, Kanzashi couldn't help but be so ashamed that she couldn't forgive herself.

"I'm the one that was useless, little sister..."

"That's not true."

Tatenashi endured her pain and got up, hugging Kanzashi, who was about to cry out.

"You're my precious little sister. A very strong one, my younger sister—"

Kanzashi's head continued to be patted, and unable to take it any further, she teared up.

"Onee-chan...onee-chan..."

In the medical office with only two people, the sisters finally broke their frozen bond, and their souls finally interacted. Only the sunset remained, watching over both of them silently.

* * *

"You have no soul!"

"That is why I have no fear. You die!"

The video was being played as Raiden sat in the maintenance room, watching it over and over again. He was busy looking over the corpse of his fallen foe as the machines dissected its body parts. It was already dark with only the main lights used for brightening the room. Raiden looked intently at the video of his battle with the IS before he looked at another one that was from his recent encounter with Madoka. Their moves were almost similar as was their killing intent on their expressions.

When Behemoth Deception spoke those words, Raiden could not help but sense Madoka's presence within that prototype, an IS able to transform into some sort of vehicle for travel. Raiden knew Madoka since childhood, because he knew that Madoka was someone who feared nothing except failure on her personal behalf. Other than that, she feared nothing for she indeed had no soul.

Raiden stared at the corpse of his fallen foe with an analytical look under his blindfold as one of the machines took out something from within the chest area of the IS that Raiden cut open with the axe.

It looked something out a science movie but the object was round and gold, almost like a sphere but not quite. Two other orange circles appeared at the top and bottom of the sphere-like object as lines decorated the outside.

Scanning the mysterious object under the scanner, a window popped open to reveal the component as a T-cog, which was the component that allowed the IS to transform into its jet mode. Instead of running on energy, it instead ran on fuel, a strange blue-fluid like substance that, according to the screen, was called Meteor-RR, a mix of mercury and some other orange liquid-like substance, some other compound that was completely foreign to him. The good news about it is that he has acquired a blueprint of the mixture and can replicate it with some help from the CIA given of their classified materials.

With the T-cog in hand along with a USB drive containing the blueprint of Meteor-RR, Raiden headed out to meet a certain blue-haired girl with glasses. Speaking of that girl, Kanzashi bumped into Raiden, again, and fell on her behind.

"You need to stop doing this, Kanzashi." Raiden said as he helped the poor girl up.

"I'm sorry. I was just running from an embarrassing moment." Kanzashi said after she ran from the dormitory where Ichika was.

Raiden smirked a little. "Well, I won't pry into it. I was actually looking for you. More specifically for your help."

"Help?" asked the girl. Raiden then showed Kanzashi the T-cog and the USB.

* * *

 **MAINTENANCE ROOM…**

Both Kanzashi and Raiden were at the maintenance room, with the T-cog on a table under the scanner and Lion Heart on display with its chassis in its chest area open. Kanzashi was typing away on a holographic keyboard in her chair as Raiden overlooked the data.

"Theoretically, it should be possible, but it will take a while for the installation to be complete." said Kanzashi. "By my estimates, I would say no more than two weeks."

"What about Meteor-RR? Can you somehow replicate the compound?"

"I've never seen anything like it before unfortunately." Kanzashi said with a sigh. "I'm no chemist and I've never seen a bio-mechanical part before running on fluid."

"Understood. Inform me when the installation is finished. We will take it outside to test it once it is ready. Just to be sure though, Kanzashi, employ any fail-safe mechanisms to save my life in case the component and the IS respond negatively in the event of an imminent disaster. Oh, and keep this project a secret from everyone, including your sister and Chifuyu. I do not want either of them to think we are dealing with something that could spell catastrophe to the school."

"What of Meteor-RR?" asked Kanzashi.

"I know some folks from my line of work that can work on the substance. You need only to study and take notes and observations. Send them through a secure link to my boss, Miriam Walker, on her personal email provided on the hard drive. She will know what to do."

Kanzashi gave a nod as she got to work on the T-cog and Lion Heart. Raiden was about to depart but was stopped by her voice.

"Prime…"

Raiden stops and turns to Kanzashi, meeting her eyes with his. Kanzashi immediately brought her hand to her mouth in mistake, which made Raiden confused.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to call you that!" The girl said with a flushed face but Raiden could not help but laugh a little.

"Hehe. You've been watching a lot of Transformers lately, haven't you?"

Kanzashi was red in embarrassment. "It's just…your words sound like that of Optimus Prime. It was wise and compassionate. And…he is my favorite Autobot."

Raiden could not help but smile and chuckle. To think a kikkimori girl like her would watch giant robots with the ability to change vehicles. Well, a girl has got to have some secrets.

"Well, whether I am Prime or not, it depends if I am born to be one or not. Either way, I probably earned it." said Raiden, which made Kanzashi laugh. She composed herself before she poured out her gratitude.

"Raiden, thank you…for your wisdom."

This made Raiden turn around after a moment and came to the girl before he patted her head. He then replied,

"Thank you…for reconciling with your sister."

Raiden then handed something to Kanzashi, which was revealed to be a silver pendant with the Autobot symbol on it. She cherished the pendant and kept it close to her heart,

Afterwards, Raiden left and Kanzashi was alone. With a smile on her heart, she resumed her work on the installation of the T-cog while also studying Meteor-RR.

"Now then…how can I install this component into this prototype?" Kanzashi said to herself as she pulled up several screens and began typing away on her holographic keyboard.

* * *

 **Author's note** : For Raiden's battle against Behemoth Deception, I combined the battles from the Transformers movies, mainly the battles between Optimus Prime and Megatron. Hanging onto the jet was from the first movie while the one on one fist battle was from _Age of Extinction_ , where Optimus fought Galvatron for the first time. The next half of the battle comprised of Optimus vs. Sentinel Prime from _Dark of the Moon_ which ended with Megatron's death from the said movie. Behemoth Deception and Chifuyu's fight takes place from Transformers Prime Episode 23 One Shall Fall during the second half of Megatron and Optimus' fight.


	25. Chapter 24: Visions in the Dark

**CHAPTER 24**

"So?"

After school, at the open-air area of the canteen, Kanzashi was facing the fuming Rin. Without any explanation, she had been brought here and then was treated like this. As the "shy" personality of hers was being clearly exposed, she trembled while cringing.

But Rin was not the only one present. Houki, Cecilia, Charlotte, and Laura were also around. Although for Houki and Charlotte, they were only there to check just how close Kanzashi was to Raiden as both of them had observed the lion working close to her in terms of their IS.

If a certain person or two were to join them, all of the first-year personal-IS pilots would be gathered here. Eight people in total, which also meant eight IS machines. A number that only a handful of militaristic countries can barely compare themselves to.

"Err, Rin, could you calm down? You are scaring Kanzashi." Charlotte stood up and expressed her gentle nature to comfort everybody.

"Stop it, Charlotte. I'm already holding back the desire of resorting to torture and truth serum right now." The angry Laura shot down Charlotte's words while crossing her arms and standing up. Even so, she was acting a lot gentler than how she would usually act, which was by using her bayonet.

"Don't say that, Laura. Here, Kanzashi-san, have some orange juice. You must be thirsty, right?"

Kanzashi looked up at Charlotte timidly. Seeing this, Charlotte revealed a kind smile.

 _Well... This person doesn't seem to be bad..._

She thought, as she began drinking the orange juice. On her second mouthful, Charlotte, maintaining her "gentle" smile, asked,

"So what exactly is going on with Raiden?"

Not understanding the question, Kanzashi returned a clumsy smile while tilting her head. At the same time, Cecilia and Houki stood up, outraged.

"I-I-I am saying! W-Wi-With Raiden or Ichika that!"

"I-I-In a relationship?!"

To be suddenly asked such a question, Kanzashi blinked in surprise and then gasped. After a while, her face turned red.

"M-Me and Ichika... are not like that...Neither are Raiden or I…"

" _Ichika_?" Rin repeated in surprise and then went into thought.

 _What's wrong with this person, suddenly calling him by his first name. Doesn't it seem too intimate? Wait, come to think of it, am I not the same? Well, it's not such a big deal...Yeah._

She was boiling a second prior, then returning back to calm the next second. Then, as the five people, boiling again, stared at Kanzashi, the latter could not help but continue to shrink.

"Thi-This... is... aah... though I do not bear such thoughts, not even to Raiden... in short, it is like this..."

The usually soft-voiced Kanzashi, under the pressure of the five people in front of her, had her voice become even softer. Her last few words could not be heard. But seeing her lowering face, which became red, while fiddling with her fingers, everyone confirmed something.

"Aah, another rival, huh?"

Kanzashi, like a frightened little animal, curled up. The five, now aware that Kanzashi was not actually in a relationship with Ichika or Raiden and seeing her in such a pitiful state, frantically tried to change the topic.

"Ah, um. Sarashiki... -san?" Houki asked in a state of panic.

"Kanzashi... Please just call me Kanzashi..." Kanzashi replied in the same state as well.

"Th-Then, just call us by our names as well. It's fine, right?" said Rin.

"Ah, uun..." Kanzashi replied in a slightly louder tone.

"Bu-But, thinking back, to suddenly bring you here was a little bit rude." said Cecilia with an unnatural smile.

"I'm just, just a little shocked..." Kanzashi, also feeling sorry for making them worry, responded with an awkward smile.

"Ah, um, do you want another cup of juice?" asked Charlotte.

"No, no need..." Kanzashi gently waved her hand to decline.

"Sa-Say. Since we are all first-years, why don't we all have some combat training together?" asked Laura.

"Ah, um. Thank you..." Her strong yet gentle voice made Kanzashi nod twice.

"Ahh..."

By coincidence, all six of them let out a sigh of relief. All six individuals thus carried a slightly shocked expression, releasing it only after a brief moment.

"This is kinda strange, isn't it?" Charlotte said this at the perfect timing, reaching her hand out to Kanzashi.

"From today onwards, I'll be in your care."

"Ye-Yes... I'll be in your care..."

Seeing those two shake hands, the rest nodded in agreement. Thus, a problem that weighed the heart was solved and a new competitor for Ichika and companion was born.

* * *

It was test day for both Raiden and Kanzashi. The T-Cog had completed its installation within Lion Heart along with Meteor-RR that was successfully by the CIA recreated thanks to the blueprint download from Raiden. With both the fluid and the mechanism in place, Lion Heart was ready for a test. Modifications though were placed as Lion Heart had a retractable helmet to cover half of Raiden's head from top to bottom, leaving the jaw exposed. Scanning a vehicle was already made as the IS can somehow take its own form whatever it was. Thrusters were also placed as a means for increase speed and maximum capacity but modified to fit and cooperate with the machine.

Raiden was out on the field with his IS suit on, ready and waiting for the younger Sarashiki girl. Though he admitted that the task of installing a T-Cog into his IS would prove to be a challenge, Kanzashi delivered it in the end. And besides, Raiden does not trust Tabane to handle this sort of monumental task as Raiden believed she would have no interest in it whatsoever.

Kanzashi was in a lab coat of sorts along with a datapad in her hand in order to oversee the test as she walked out to meet with Raiden.

"Alright, Raiden. Before you transform, we need to see if your boosters are compatible still. Installing the T-Cog in your IS led to a lot of modifications, especially on the thrusters."

"I had a feeling it would. I'll do my best though." said Raiden.

"Just take it easy for the most part. Start with 5% power capacity." advised Kanzashi.

"Will do. Begin the recording." Raiden said to a monkey-like robot bot.

As a so-called gift from Miri, Raiden had given Kanzashi a few tiny robotic minions to serve as Kanzashi's helpers. Raiden figured that the CIA had something of an experiment behind his back after the CIA salvaged some parts of Behemoth Deception to be used for reverse engineering. From those parts, they were able to create three robotic servants in the form of animals. Their names were Laserbeak, Mandarin, and Wolf.

Laserbeak was a bird-like drone that had flexible wings and always gave off a loud noise wherever it flew. It had built in miniguns for self-defense along with two long cables to stun and electrify anyone threatening it. ( **Author's Note** : For reference of Laserbeak, look up the Transformers Prime version)

Wolf was, as its name implied, a robotic quadrupedal wolf cub robotwith a learning optical neuro-AI and a prototype verbal interface. Known weapons systems included a chainsaw attached to its back that could be used to cut opponents, spring-loaded HF knives, a rail gun, as well as extendable claws. Its tail also acted as a manipulator arm. ( **Author's Note** : For reference, it's Wolf from Metal Gear Rising Revengeance)

Mandarin was a monkey-like robot but a cheerful one. It is loyal to Kanzashi as the animal bot would cling onto her only and obey her commands, along with Raiden's. Its arms can be turned to blasters and its tail can be used as a third arm for retrieving things. Although once seen as crazy due to its nature, the primate softened its attitude when it met Kanzashi, as it sees her as her mother. With sharp claws and dangerous teeth, it's animal/robot that no one should mess with.

Mandarin was the one holding the camera as it pushed the recording button.

"Okay. Let's do this right." said Raiden as he centered himself out onto the field. He had unintentionally gathered a crowd of girls who were curious to watch him.

Raiden takes a breather before he turns his attention to the other two robotic animals.

"Laserbeak, be ready with the fire extinguisher and be on standby with fire safety. Wolf, you clean up the mess if anything goes wrong. Mandarin, you are camera duty."

Laserbeak had a built-in fire extinguisher that is deployed in the same manner helicopters would do to prevent forest fires. Wolf was on standby next to Kanzashi just to clean up any messes.

"This is test 1 of Lion Heart with T-Cog; thruster and booster test. 5% capacity."

Raiden activates his IS, which looked a little different from before. It looked a little more alien, sort of like Behemoth Deception, but more natural and more benevolent rather than menacing. For one thing, it fully covered his chest area, leaving only his lower jaw and neck exposed. With the T-Cog in place, Raiden felt that he and the machine were of one body, but he had to be sure that his physical body of flesh does not turn into a mess when transforming. The last thing he wants is his grinded flesh splattered all over the field.

"Here we go. Thruster test in 3, 2, 1!"

Raiden activates the thrusters on his back, which were because of the modifications of his IS due to the T-cog, but immediately upon ignition, he started flying out of control.

"WWOOOOAAAHHHH!"

Raiden was screaming as he had no control over his IS. Not even the small jet boosters on his wings were helping. Perhaps 5% was too much.

Raiden flew all over the arena, dodging the walls and stands just by a hair. A few spins, turns, and barrel rolls later, Raiden crashes straight into the ground.

"Mandarin, end recording!" says Kanzashi. The monkey bot presses the button to stop recording before it is given a banana by Kanzashi for a job well done.

"Laserbeak, extinguish!"

Laserbeak comes over with the fire extinguisher and douses the flames, especially on Raiden though to his irritation as he shakes the dirt off his head. Kanzashi comes over to check on him in worry.

"Raiden-sama, are you alright?"

"Ugh. I'm okay. More importantly, stabilizers?" asked Raiden as he shook the dizziness from his head.

"Yeah. Stabilizers." Kanzashi said as she adjusted her glasses. The two retreated back to the maintenance hall to work on that gosh darn T-Cog and its modifications.

 **LATER ON…**

"Test 2. IS Lion Heart with T-Cog and stabilizers. Laserbeak, you are on fire safety but if you douse me and I am not on fire, you are going in your cage and I am sending you back to Miri."

Laserbeak shrunk a little behind Kanzashi's neck as it sat on her shoulder. Turned out that Raiden was not on fire, just the crater itself.

"We'll start off with 1% capacity this time on the thrusters." says Kanzashi behind the keyboard typing away.

"Alright. Here we go in 3, 2, 1!"

Raiden activates his thrusters in his IS, which levitates him off the ground. After a bit of struggle with balance, Raiden finds the center point with his body as he stabilizes.

"Seems good so far. Increasing to 2.5%."

The thrusters give off more thrust and power as Raiden struggles to maintain hold over them. He levitates all over the arena as he struggles to adjust his position with his modified IS and adjust the wings with the boosters on them. Thank goodness for the stabilizers in place or he would've gone sky-rocketing into the wild blue yonder and perhaps be reprimanded for it by Chifuyu. With the stabilizers on the leg boosters, wings, and back installed, Raiden had an easier time adjusting to his modified IS.

"Looks good. Kanzashi, shall we move to testing the T-Cog?"

"That's a green light."

"Alright. Commencing in 3, 2, 1."

Within seconds, Raiden's IS had begun to shift form as his body was soon encased within the armor, giving off a distinct sound. His IS, from top to bottom, began to change form mechanically as the wings folded in and retracted inwards. Reordering the physical structure made some parts of the outward appearances of the vehicle mode to disappear. Once the transformation was complete, the monitors showed the vehicle mode Raiden was in.

It was a military jet cross-between a Mikoyan MiG-29 and an F15-E Strike Eagle, reminiscing a F-22 Raptor and an F-16 Eagle in the process. The two main engines, which were two super-luminal space drive engines, were decorated in the back, with smaller engines in between. The wings of the jet were also far into the back instead of in the middle, along with the two tail fins. Two missile pods were decorated in between the cockpit of the jet, which was orange in color. If anything, the jet looked a little alien in nature, almost like a prototype of the US military, something experimental. The jet at least was half the size of a normal military jet. ( **Author's Note** : For reference, look up Megatron's jet mode from _Transformers: The Last Knight_ )

Raiden took off with a sonic boom that reached the arena, louder than expected. At least the windows were not damaged. He climbed to a relatively normal eight for any jet before he became level and safe away from the ground.

"Kanzashi, are you there?" asked Raiden as he flew by, his head within the cockpit as he was analyzing the holographic data around him, like what Iron Man would do.

"I read you. It worked, Raiden. It worked!" Kanzashi said with excitement as she held onto herself from the wind being blow thanks to Raiden.

"Of course, it did. Now keep me updated." said Raiden. "I do not want to attract attention from anyone."

"Oh. Right…On it!" said the girl as she looked over the readings for the status.

Through a series of twists and turns, Raiden was having too much fun as he flew all over the Academy. Thanks to Kanzashi's tech, any military scans would be ineffective when targeting him as only his IS signature can be scanned by the IS Academy.

"Okay let's try something."

Raiden said as he turned to the left and saw a Ferris wheel. Accelerating at speeds to which no one can track, Raiden passes through an opening of the wheel at ease before he pulls up, venturing high into the atmosphere and doing a barrel roll in the process.

"Alright let's see what this thing can do. What's the highest height for an SR-71?"

"The altitude record for fixed-wing flight is 85,000 feet." said Kanzashi over the comm.

"Keep me posted on my elevation. I'm not aiming for records, just want to test the elevation of this IS." said Raiden as he climbed higher and higher. His elevation was at 5,000 feet already and he needed to climb higher. He pushed the limits of his jet engines to reach new heights until he reached 10,000 feet.

"Raiden, 10,000 feet of elevation is the maximum it can go."

"Fine by me. I'm just gonna make a drop here."

Killing the engines, Raiden allowed himself to fall back to the earth as he was nearing terminal velocity. He was falling pretty fast since he killed the switch and was already at terminal velocity. Soon, at 900 feet, Raiden turned on the engines, whistling past by an empty city block as newspaper scattered all over and scaring some folk who looked to see him past by. Raiden could not contain his excitement.

"YEEEAAHHH! WAAAAAHOOOOO!"

Flying back to the Academy, Raiden accelerated as he came back to the arena. He flew upwards just by the graze of the dirt before he transformed back into his IS mode, followed by a dust explosion that soon followed. Once the dust cleared, Raiden was on one knee and one fist punched downwards before he stood up.

Kanzashi came by, along with her three robotic pets as she clapped her hands in excitement. She could not help but ask one question.

"Well? What do you think?"

Raiden retracted his helmet back as it unfolded itself, showing his head. He then smiled with clear satisfaction.

"Yeah. I can fly."

* * *

Ichika appeared agitated sitting on a chair as Yamada-sensei entered the room with a clipboard in her hand. Raiden appeared still as ever with a straight back and stern face, ready for why the two boys were called to the infirmary. It was about two hours after the blind pilot tested the T-Cog on his IS with Kanzashi. While he was resting, which was in reality cuddling with Tatenashi who was in his room waiting for him, he was summoned immediately to the infirmary for something. Usually when he would go it would be for injuries. But the case was different this time.

"I'm sorry for making you two wait so long." Yamada-sensei said. "But everyone should be here soon."

"For what?" asked Ichika.

"Physical examination. Considering the attack on the Academy by the unmanned IS units, the Academy realized that they must improve there is suits, and precise body measurements will be important."

"By precise body measurements, you mean that we need to take body measurements on these girls." Raiden guessed as Yamada-sensei pulled out the measuring tapes.

"Here. You will need these."

Ichika was flabbergasted. Raiden was not. In the Marine Corp, having body measurements be taken by someone, male or female, was nothing new to him. A few of the examiners who were mostly female once gazed at his scarred body and blushed a little as he could recall from his quick observations during day 1.

Ichika sighed. "I understand that, but why are we the ones taking the measurements?!"

"Student council's unanimous decision, An-chan. And as its Vice-President, I approved of the call by orders of the SCP." said Raiden.

Ichika was shocked. He then gasped at the horror that Tatenashi purposely set them both up to take body measurements to tease them, only Raiden was taking it in stride. The blunette boy could imagine the SCP laughing with an evil aura of sorts.

"What the hell could this twisted school be thinking?!"

"What are you blabbering about now, you blockhead?"

Chifuyu just entered the room before she set her hands on her hips. Raiden kept his composure and acted calmly, unlike his counterpart.

"Chifuyu-nee—" Ichika was met with a smack from the clipboard.

"You are suppose to address me as Orimura-sensei, you idiot! I do not know why you cannot just follow through your duty like you're supposed to, unlike Raiden over here."

 _No comment on that, Aneue._ Raiden thought in response to that remark.

"But—But I was set up! And even Raiden approved of this!"

Ichika complained as he pointed over to Raiden who just gave a pose of 'I don't know what he is taking about.'

Chifuyu could only frown with her eyes closed at her younger brother's antics. "Do you have to be a drama queen over everything? I got the solution to solve all your problems."

Chifuyu gave Ichika a black blindfold, which he gladly accepted the gift.

 _Thank you, Chifuyu-nee, thank you Orimura-sensei_.

If Raiden could see, he would roll his eyes upwards and shake his head slightly. He didn't have to though as Ichika later found out that the blindfold was see-through, much to his disappointment as it is now rendered useless. Raiden's blindfold that he always wore made him see nothing, just pitch black. But even without the blindfold, due to his scarred eyes, he would still see pitch black.

"Why does this Academy have to be so cruel?" Ichika complained. His plea seemed all so useless just as a group of girls entered the classroom noisily.

"Ah, Orimura-kun! Hataru-sama!"

"Oh, so it's really Orimura-kun and Hataru-sama who are taking measurements?"

"Eeeeeeh, so it's like this!? I might have eaten a little too much last night!"

"Okay, everyone please be quiet~. We're now going to take measurements for the IS suits, so please do not wear any unnecessary clothing ok?" Yamada-sensei happily announced to everyone.

Raiden was relaxed and cool as a cucumber, ready to take measurements without perverted intentions. But to Ichika, this was no different to a death sentence.

"Gym clothes must be taken off, please be in your undergarments only, ok?"

 _Yes, I'm dead. I'm so dead._

"Ah, everyone will enter that cubicle one at a time. Form up two lines, follow the order of undress, measurement, and re-dress. All will be done in there. Thus there will be no worries of being seen in underwear by anyone."

"Yamada-sensei, won't you be able to see them!?" Ichika shouted in rage, renewing his determination to get away from this atrocious situation. After all, Orimura Ichika is a person who can never understand a woman's heart. A guy through and through. And also a guy who has spent almost all of his days playing around with other boys only, making him all the more sensitive to the bodies of women even when compared to the average guy.

"I'll be back recording the numbers that you two will call out, wo whip out that measuring tape, and get started!"

Yamada-sensei gently shoved Ichika back in the room while Raiden casually walked in to his, a large curtain separating the two of them. The blind boy let out a loud whip with his measuring tape per Yamada-sensei's instructions, making a crack echo off. Ichika meanwhile was trying to think his way out but to no avail. Out of the frying pan and into the fire as the first one Kiyoka was ready to strip.

"Index number 1, Aikawa Kiyoka, it's my turn!"

"Wa-Wait-Wait a sec!"

"Eeh~, so slow."

Walking into the measuring area, Aikawa Kiyoka was clearly only wearing her undergarments: bra and panties which were yellow in color. She was excited for one of the boys, mainly Ichika, to be taking her measurements but Ichika was flabbergasted of her partial nudity.

 _That-That's right! It will be fine if I just do it with my eyes closed! Use the mind's eye! The inner third eye! Just like Anisama!_

Ichika closed my eyes tightly and picked up the measuring tape. Kiyoka could only tilt her head at his situation in confusion.

"Excuse me, Orimura?"

That snapped Ichika out his stupor.

"Th-Then, here we go. I'm gonna put the tape around you so hold your arms out, please."

"Ok~."

Ichika closed his eyes as Kiyoka extended her arms out. Using his "third" eye, Ichika made his way to measure Kiyoka's upper waist. If Ichika would actually open his eyes, he would know where he was measuring.

 _Squish._

"—Huh?"

Ichika accidentally shoved his backhand onto Kiyoka's right breast.

"Hyah!? O-Orimura-kun, what are you doing all of a sudden-AAH!?"

"Eh, ah. No, this is—"

A soft full feeling slowly spread throughout his hand as Ichika felt the breasts. His clumsiness with the measuring tape made him to that. Raiden, on the other side of the curtain, was sighing and groaning in disappointment at what he was doing.

"I-I said, don't... aah~!"

Kiyoka moaned from the touch that was unfortunately making her more and more aroused. She tried to scream for help as Ichika did his best to measure her body. But all it created was a bad situation, and an indecent act on another girl. Just as it could not get any worse, Cecilia and Laura ripped the curtains to his room down, with fury across their face for what they saw in front of them.

"Ichika-san, what are you doing!?" said Cecilia.

"—Ichika, get ready to die." said Laura.

Both of the girls, like tigers, pounced on the poor boy and proceeded to beat the crap out of him. Ichika's screams and the growls of the two girls echoed throughout the sunny afternoon.

Meanwhile on the other side of the curtain, Raiden had no trouble at all measuring the girl's and their measurements. With precision and accuracy, he took out the measurements of the girls and called out the numbers to Yamada-sensei. Yet for some reason, every time the girls came out, they felt a sense of enlightenment come across their face, as if they came out of a massage. Raiden could not tell whether this was a coincidence or that a small part of his mind did something intentional.

The next one up was Charlotte, who came in with pink strawberry bras and panties, along with a blushing face. Raiden was already surprised, so surprised that his mouth became slightly ajar at the sight of wearing such a childish undergarment coming from his childhood friend.

"I didn't know you were into this stuff, Charlotte." joked the blind boy.

"I-I am not! It's just…I have more mature underwear." Charlotte then realized what she said and tried to attack Raiden by poking at blindfold, mainly where his eye sockets would be. Raiden dodged and caught her hand with his right hand.

Charlotte retracted her hand and, with a puffy face, said,

"Raiden, you pervert."

"No comment as usual." said Raiden with a laugh. "Shall we get started then?"

With the measuring tape, Raiden stretched it across Charlotte's chest before the tape went under her boobs. Raiden was pretty darn close to the French girl as she was doing her best to calm down. Even though she had been in bed with Raiden before, she was still a little inexperienced with her childhood friend touching her so much, especially on physical examinations.

She could smell his aroma from his hair, which enticed her a lot. It was not long until she felt her tush being wrapped around by the measuring tape and Raiden's face at her butt level. She needed to keep calm but her mind was already scrambling and her legs were shaking somewhat.

"Charlotte, keep still. I can't get your measurements if you are like this." said Raiden.

"Sorry! It's just…AAH!"

Charlotte gasped as she felt her tush being groped by Raiden while he was measuring her hips. And what was more is that Raiden did not seem embarrassed by what he was doing and it certainly felt like there were no perverted intentions behind it.

"Okay your chest area is about 20 cm. And your hips are about the same as last time. About 15 cm."

Charlotte was glad that it was over as soon as Raiden took the measurements away. Still, she could understand why the girls that saw Raiden came out strange. His close proximity to them along with the feelings of his hands over their bodies was, in her mind, what made them aroused, including her.

But still, she said to Raiden,

"Raiden, you pervert!"

Charlotte dashed off and Raiden could not help but smile as his childhood friend left. Despite catching up with her, the two have yet to have personal time with one another. Last time they did, they were interrupted by Laura.

Houki came after Charlotte and right before the lion noticed, she started stripping immediately. She presented herself in a black bra and panties, which was unusual for Raiden to see.

"I thought you would be wearing white." said Raiden.

"I just happen to have a pair of black ones." said a fearless Houki. "I bought them with Takatsuki. She suggested it."

 _May have to thank her later. She looks too damn sexy in it._

Raiden took out the measurements and, standing up, stretched and wrapped the tape around Houki's chest area. Being this close to each other was nothing new for these two because if anything, Houki did not mind given that the curtains surrounded both the lion and the vixen. She could feel the lion's hands around her body, which brought her memory back to that night that she loved to replay over and over in her mind every time she went to sleep. She wanted to do it again with Raiden as in her mind, she enjoyed that act despite her getting drunk in the first place.

Raiden looked over her shoulder as he was measuring Houki's bust. Being this close to her face made both of them hear and feel their breathing by their moist lips. They quickly went in for a quick and intimate kiss before resuming their work.

Houki tasted something on her lips which came from Raiden. With a quick lip, she became intrigued by the flavor.

"Green tea flavor?" asked Houki.

"A gift from a friend of mine back at work." Raiden said. Truth be told, the chapstick came from Miri along with a note telling him to moisten up his lips.

"Do you like it?" asked Raiden.

Houki nodded. "I love it. It's sweet, just like you."

"Not sweet enough as your lips though." Raiden teased back, making the samurai girl blush happily.

Raiden had finished up Houki's measurements as the girl exited out. Like all the others, she became enlightened and did not dare shake off that feeling of his big hands around her body, those same hands that caressed her that night.

* * *

Raiden had departed from the IS Academy on a late night. In his jet mode from his IS, he departed towards Aokigahara, or the Suicide Forest, which was located at the base of Mount Fuji. Why would he fly there one may ask? Raiden kept having visions. Visions of a throne made of stone and encased in fluorescent blue crystal. Not only that, but his IS was telling him to go to Aokigahara immediately but it would not explain why.

Raiden arrived at the base of the forest and transformed back into his IS mode before he deactivated his IS. From there, he walked into the forest and walked the path that was somehow lit for him in white light. By the time Raiden walked down the path, he found himself before a pond.

"You brought me here. Why?" asked Raiden. His answer was provided by a dark voice that emerged from behind a tree as it revealed itself.

"Sometimes, evolution requires a push. Or a sacrifice."

The dark voice emerged to be a mass of shadow in the form of a lion that soon became visible as its armor was present. Shoulder pads decorated the front legs as did the rest of its body that was black with a gray outlining. It wore a helmet that looked angelic but also looking like a fallen angel. It's purple fiery eyes glowed as it stared at Raiden.

Raiden knew who or what this thing was: it was the darker half of his IS Lion Heart.

"Time and again, you have used our power but you still refuse to accept who you are. Why do you still cling to your past life as a mere weapon of evil?"

Raiden was immediately ticked off but he kept a stern composure. He retorted back,

"I broke free of that time long ago. Don't you dare say that you know anything about me!"

"We know more than you think." The dark lion said as it turned around away from him. "And you have trifled with our patience for the last time."

In an instant, Raiden was caught off-guard as a flash of red lightning was shot at from the dark lion when it turned around, hitting the blind boy back into the pond and incapacitating him. All Raiden could see and hear was nothing as darkness slowly closed his vision.

 **HOURS LATER…**

Raiden woke up with a groggy vision. Pain was felt across his body as he struggled to stand. He found himself in the middle of Aokigahara but not in the same spot as he was last time. Instead of a pond, Raiden found himself beholding a dirt road surrounded by the forests and cliffs.

Raiden had no idea what to think of this. For the darker half of his IS to just suddenly attack him out of the blue caught him off-guard and now he is forced to play along with its games. His IS was severely damaged to the point of being rendered non-operable. Not even the communications systems nor navigation were working.

"Once again do you stand alone in the darkness." said the dark voice of the lion that echoed throughout the forest. Raiden could not find where it was so he was forced to play along with it.

Raiden walks forward on the path as he took his time. The howls of the animals lurking within the forest echoed throughout. Fireflies were seen in the distant as they somewhat illuminated the path before the blind boy.

"You have forgotten what it means to face death alone." said the dark lion. "We shall remind you."

Raiden continues to walk onto the path that was lit for him. The only weapons he had were his iron tessen and his Custom Made M9 Beretta holstered to his right hip.

"A path has been laid before you but you refuse to tread upon it. That will change."

Raiden was already getting tired of hearing that voice. And yet already, his instincts as a hunter and an assassin from the past took over him. The dark lion was right though, he was alone in the darkness and he needed to survive. He saw predators lurking in the distant, ranging from wolves to cougars. Raiden took cover in the bushes to hide away from his presence.

"Can you sense the predators closing in? They smell your weakness, your fears. They would feast on it."

Avoiding them since he nor they do not feel threatened, Raiden leaps up towards the rocks with a high jump. From there, he was able to see a lot more of what the valley has intended for him. He could not see much as the trees blocked his path and the fireflies only illuminated a small portion of the land before him. He continues to walk on the path before him before he is suddenly attacked by some black wolves, to which he is able to scare off with the sound of his lion growl.

"You have a destiny to fulfill. But we are tired of being disappointed by your lack of progress."

 _Lack of progress? Of what?_

Raiden did not know how to address that. Sure enough, life had been keeping him very busy and he has trained with the class before in their IS, all the while teaching the others as a personal IS pilot. So what did the dark lion mean by the lack of progress?

"You were blindsided by your hated enemy because you allowed it. You have become weak."

Raiden admitted that there was some truth to that. Given of his recent battle with Behemoth Deception, he had a lot to think about with that enemy. An unmanned IS like the Silver Gospel but with the skill, experience, and presence of a certain individual who considered each other as rivals and personal enemies. Raiden was not even aware that Behemoth Deception was simply Madoka in disguise who managed to nearly defeat Raiden and caught him off-guard in the first place.

Raiden recounted his memories with the Golem as images of their fight came to his vision. He also saw illusions of their fight manifest before him as blue ghost-like figures before the physical manifestations faded into the wind.

"Madoka nearly struck a killing blow against you. Had the Brunhilde not interfered, you would be dead. Perhaps we should have let you go then…"

Raiden remembered how he was nearly defeated by Behemoth Deception as the first thing he recalled was his right arm becoming out of commission before he was pummeled to the ground. It was only thanks to Chifuyu that he was able to escape death but not even someone like the Brunhilde had manged to defeat the Golem.

"The IS Academy is finally united under a single banner. It should have been yours."

 _I do not want that power. I never wanted it._

Despite becoming the Vice-President of the Student Council and an S-rank pilot, Raiden felt that leadership is something to be earned and not simply bestowed upon. While he felt honored to be the VP of the Student Council even though Tatenashi would keep him to herself in another way aside from being roommates, Raiden felt he is unfit to lead because assassins, especially former ones, tend to work alone. The Marines did teach him of leadership but even then, he still felt unqualified to lead.

"Despite your extensive knowledge, your combat skills, and our immense power at your disposal, you remain…incomplete."

Raiden found himself before an open field surrounded by small cliffs. He felt that he was now in the middle of the valley, the end nowhere in sight. Strangely enough, it was still nighttime, perhaps midnight or early morning.

"You have mastered your skills with Lion Heart. It is not enough. It never was."

Raiden walked forward until a strong gust wind blew. Raiden stood his ground before the wind died down and it was from there that he saw the dark lion manifest before him on one of the small cliffs right in front of him.

"Until you have embraced your full potential, you will only be a pawn of fate. Never its master."

"I do not want that kind of power. That alone leads to corruption." said Raiden.

"Only to those that are careless with it. What is your excuse of not doing what needs to be done?" asked the angry lion. It then approached Raiden closer before it met him face to face.

"The future is not a river to carry us. It is the ocean in which we drown, if we are not prepared." The lion then begins to circle around Raiden. "You have two destinies, Raiden Hataru. In one, you destroy Phantom Task, claim the throne, and reshape the world. In the other, you die alone, unmourned and forgotten."

The lion then redirects itself to Raiden, meeting him face to face again.

"I brought you here to taste that defeat."

With its eyes now glowing red, red lightning struck all over and surrounded the area. The dark lion gave a loud growl and proceeded to fight Raiden by lunging at him with great speed. Raiden dodges to the side before he draws upon his powers and procures his claws from his IS in the form of lion paws. With a growl, the two animals begin their fight.

The dark lion lunges at Raiden, with its red claws and huge fangs ready. Raiden holds the lion back even as he is pushed to the ground before he manages to kick it off. The dark lion flips in the air and lands on its feet before Raiden comes in and charges, tumbling the two over to a wall. Unfortunately, Raiden is the one who meets the wall first as his back is pushed to it and he is presented with a bite from the dark lion on his neck.

Raiden counters with his claws piercing through the lion as he throws it off. Once again does the dark lion land on its feet. The dark lion then throws its red lightning from its eye lids while Raiden counters it with his form of lightning from his hands that was purple in color. The two's lightning collided as the area around them became cracked and splintered. Trees were destroyed by the strong winds procured when they were ripped from the ground and large boulders from the cliffs fell. Neither of the combatants seemed to be moved from the forces of nature reacting so violently from their fight.

Ending the lightning battle by throwing their lightning into the air, the dark lion uses its lightning to incapacitate Raiden from the side and send him over to a wall, where the animal holds him at bay with its powers.

"Pitiful. Why did we ever believe you change anything?"

Releasing its hold over him, Raiden fell to the ground, his body in pain from the lightning and his back still against the rock wall. Glaring at his opponent, Raiden answered,

"You have no idea what I am capable of."

Raiden stands back up as he slides back down from the cliff to meet his darker half of his IS.

"And neither do you." replied the dark lion. "Therein lies the problem." The lion begins to walk away for a bit, looking at the destruction of the landscape caused by their brief clash.

"This was but a fraction of the pain you can inflict upon your enemies. If you do not finish your training, accepting your destiny, you will fall into the abyss once more."

Raiden was unmoved by this statement.

"There is nothing you or my enemies could do that I will not survive."

The dark lion retorted back, "Your goal is not to survive. It is to rule. There is nothing else."

The lion then made one final statement.

"My part in this has already been done. There is someone else who will take over your training. However, I will leave one final token of my personal favor."

The dark lion's physical manifestation dissipates into a black cloud which comes toward Raiden, filling up his body as the blind boy struggles against the energies flowing within. Raiden slowly falls to his knees as he experiences a slight faint that clouds his vision.

"Fulfill your destiny, and you may finally find the peace you are looking for."

But Raiden did not know what was going on as he searched with his eyes for where the dark creature went as he stood up on his two legs. He asked out loud,

"Where are you going? Why are leaving me?"

"It is pointless to explain." said the dark lion. "But you will understand, when the time comes."

Raiden feels another influx of energy course within him that then sends him crashing to the ground again. His vision becomes dark once again.

* * *

Up on the rooftop of one afternoon, Ichika, Houki, Cecilia, and Rin had their lunch prepared. Charlotte and Laura went off for some bonding time as friends. Raiden however was still missing. Two days have passed since he just disappeared without telling anyone where he was off to. Not even Tatenashi knew of his whereabouts.

Missing people aside, the three girls were a little depressed over their measurements, except for Ichika.

"I'm shocked, my waist has increased by five centimeters." said Cecilia.

"Yeah, well I gained some weight too, but my chest size remained the same." Rin was still sensitive about her bust size after all.

Houki clicked her tongue for herself. "Distortion of the body means distortion of the mind. I need to increase my training time!"

One thought then crossed her mind.

 _Especially since I do not want to look bad in front of Raiden._

"Man, girls sure do worry about crazy things," said Ichika as he was eating his Bento. "And I can't tell any of that by looking at you all."

With such careless words as usual, Ichika was met with glares. At this point, Raiden would smack him from behind onto his head.

"How could you be so insensitive towards us, Ichika?" asked Houki. "By the way, what is it that you're eating for lunch today?"

"A simple Bento I made. You also have one, made from Raiden it seems."

Houki was surprised that Ichika could tell Raiden made it. After all, the blind boy had it wrapped up in the colors of silver and blue, which were his favorite. Although the Bento looked typical to the naked eye, the taste was different for Houki, one that filled her with such exquisiteness if not a tiny bit of ecstasy.

Cecilia and Rin, even though they knew Houki and Raiden were always together, could not help but glare a little due to jealousy, wishing Ichika did the same to them.

"That was sneaky of him." said Rin.

"Sneaky and completely unexpected." said Cecilia.

"W-What? Raiden just happened to make too much!"

Houki stuffed herself with some of the rice, that was handmade and washed by Raiden himself. A little bit of red reached her face because of the taste.

 _R-Raiden's hard work on the rice. I can feel it in my mouth._

Cecilia and Rin's glare pierced through the air like a hot knife to butter.

"When it comes to pork, Rin is the best to make them." said Ichika. The Chinese girl grinned like a baby who just received ice cream.

"And Charlotte's profiterole is amazing! Everyone's an amazing cook!"

"Ichika...how about my cooking?" asked Cecilia with those puppy eyes of hers.

To be quite honest, Ichika knew that Cecilai was not the best cook as Rin whispered into his ear to tell the truth.

"Hey, it's about time for you to give her a reality check, so you got to tell her!"

Rin then leaned closer to Ichika's eardrum. "Cecilia's cooking is horrible!"

"What?! I cannot tell her that!" The blunnette boy protested.

"Think of how many lives you'll save!" said Rin. Well, maybe except for Raiden as he is somehow immune to her cooking.

Cecilia became suspicious of the two's conversation and decided to intrude in.

"Hey! I demand to know what you two are whispering about. Ichika, I asked you what you thought about my cooking!"

Before Ichika could open his mouth, Charlotte and Laura appeared. "Sorry to keep you all waiting, and Kanzashi's here."

Kanzashi revealed herself from hiding behind Charlotte, still shy as usual. "H-Hello."

"Hey Kanzashi! Come sit next to me."

While the others exchanged lunches, Cecilia was aware no one but Raiden appreciated her cooking. It became clear her cooking was the worst that can make anyone turn away in a heartbeat, except for Raiden.

Houki, meanwhile, was looking out to the mountains in her view. She was wondering where her certain blind lover was, hoping that nothing bad has happened to him. Usually whenever Raiden was gone, he would leave a note but there was no note this time. And no one knew what the note was as only Chifuyu did and would not bother sharing it, probably for Raiden's sake and everyone else's.

Houki held her hands to her chest, almost as if she was praying, as she continued to look at the mountains.

 _Raiden, wherever you are...please be safe._

* * *

Raiden wakes up in a room of sorts, underneath a bunk bed inside of a metal structure. His eyesight was blurry before it adjusted but he found himself in some strange place. He groaned at his environment as he adjusted his body before sitting up.

"Now what?"

Raiden gets out of bed and walks around before he finds the door leading outside. To his knowledge, he was still in Aokigahara but now he was lost. His IS was still out of commission as his communication systems and navigation were still down.

Raiden was surrounded by two tables that contained schematics and recordings that dated back years ago. From those recordings in the form of datapads, he heard a man and a woman speak to each other about the IS. It did not provide him any clues as to what they were talking about of the IS though. Raiden could not recognize the voices from either of them, even as their holograms showed the recording.

"Can it really be done?" asked the woman in her casual clothing.

"Theoretically it is possible but I have every confidence it can work." said the man in the white lab coat. "I just need the resources necessary to make it."

"But what will the world say of this?" asked the woman in concern. "It is illegal to make one, and only Tabane Shinonono knows how to do it."

"That's why this project will be personal, for my sake and yours. No one can know of its true nature. We will make it simply from scratch."

The recording ends and the holograms disappear. Raiden had no idea what they were talking about. Next to the recording on the table though lied a datapad journal, whose voice was recorded by the woman. Her holographic form was shown but Raiden was unable to make of the face as it was obscured.

 _"My husband has been working day in and day out on his project. While he has been able to spend time with me and my son, I sometimes wonder if what he is doing is foolish. As ingenious as he is, I cannot help but wonder how long it will be before someone discovers his work. Until then, we both have to ensure that this secret does not get leaked out, along with the true notion he and I have planned."_

Raiden began to explore the forest around him, walking on the same dirt path alone. A few miles downward, he found another recording.

"You want our son to inherit this?!" asked the woman in fear. "He could never pilot an IS, let alone wield something made by your hand!"

"I cannot risk the life of our family in danger over this." said the man in a calm yet determined voice. "It is still incomplete despite the results of our tests with it, including your piloting skills."

"But he will be in danger. From everyone. They will grow to hate him!"

"That is not going to happen. We will do everything we can to ensure that our secret stays with him. And you know exactly what to do."

The woman sighed yet still had great concern over her voice. "I...I'm just worried. I just don't want-"

"He will grow up to be a fine, strong young man." The man wrapped himself over his wife in a comforting hug. "We just need to believe."

The recording ends and Raiden could not help but feel touched. But it is clear to him that the man and woman have a connection to him. But who they are and what they are to him are still unknown.

Another datapad journal was found next to the recording but this one was different. Rather than an expression of thoughts of recent events, it was a message. One that spoke to Raiden in the form of a holographic woman whose face was still obscured.

 _"My son, if you are listening to this, then you must know that your father and I do not have much time left. Though we will be gone, we will never leave you from your heart where we can never escape from. Despite the busyness we have had over these past few months, it has never crossed our mind that we put our work before you. Everything we have worked was done for your sake. Your father and I have created something that should have never been created, that it became beyond our ability to control. But I have faith that you can do it. One day, you will realize that this represents more than just people's goals but our life's work. What you possess will be the key to the future. Despite the IS being a grand stature that changed the world forever, your father and I are limited by the technology of our time, but one day you will figure this out. And when you do, you will have changed the world. What is, and always will be, my greatest creation is you. I love you forevermore, until the end of the ages."_

A tear of joy came from the woman as her hologram faded away. Raiden could not help but tear as well as those words were very motherly. But were they directed to him? If they were, then who was the mother's face?

The answers would have to wait as Raiden found a campfire with someone in front of it, sitting on a log. The figure was adorned in white clothing, a kimono of sorts. It was a white short sleeved traditional kimono dress with a blue rope tied on each side of her shoulders and a blue ribbon attached to the back of her shirt which is connected to the blue rope and a gray diamond designed obi which is tucked into her kimono dress. On her obi was a silver insignia of a swan at the center of her waist while wearing her outfit. She has an off-white traditional kimono dress which is tied in a white karate belt on her waist and both sleeves of the kimono dress are hanging loose with flower designs on her sleeves and her skirt of her dress. She also wears white and blue fingerless gauntlets with a golden shell design tied in blue ribbons on each side underneath her arm and wrists. The interior of her off-white kimono dress is blue. She also wears white tabi which is tied in blue ribbons and traditional Japanese geta. She also has an insignia at the center of her waist while wearing the outfit. Her face was obscured as it was covered by a veil and there was only pitch black, but her hair could be seen from the veil. At the back of her hair which is just above the nape, she wears a traditional Japanese hair ornament shaped like a white swan.

"I've waited for you a long time." said the figure, whose voice was womanly. To Raiden, it sounded eerily similar to the one from the recordings and the journals.

The figure stood up and turned to face Raiden as the blind boy approached it. Raiden could not make of her visage once again as the veil covered it. Raiden, at this point, had no patience for what was going on now.

"Welcome to my home...Raiden Hataru."

"What is this? Another illusion?" He asked vehemently as he crossed his arms.

"On the contrary, it is real." The woman simply said. But Raiden was not convinced.

"When the dark lion told me to finish my training, he meant with you?"

"You're asking the wrong person." said the kimono woman. Raiden was confused, if not a bit annoyed, as the only thing he was getting were more and more metaphors.

The woman turned around and prompted with a hand gesture to Raiden.

"Come, and sit next to me by the warm fire."

Raiden complied as he was not one to argue what was going on, unlike his other male counterpart at the Academy. When both of them sat by the fire, Raiden broke the silence that followed.

"Do you know how long I have been in this forest? Why I am even here in the first place?"

The woman in the kimono stayed silent. She then dodged the question.

"Many things changed in the years that followed. You were captured by terrorists and experimented on while the 'great work' was kept in safe storage away from the world. Eventually you were rescued, to which you attempted to take a path not intended. Instead, you found a road that links both together."

Raiden wondered how this woman knew everything of him. He never met her before but somehow, someway the woman has met him. But what were they together though?

"I'll admit, I wanted to get away from the IS after what had happened to me." Raiden confessed. "But it seems I was unable to escape it after all."

"But you did escape it." said the woman as she stood up, prompting Raiden to do the same. She then walked away from the fire and stared at a nearby waterfall.

"And from it, you found a new path, achieving things and discovering truths that not even Tabane can understand. We have been here for a long time. Waiting. Upon the slopes of the sacred mountain of Fuji."

"'We?' Is there someone else here?" asked Raiden.

"We are never alone." said the woman as she turned around. "We sensed your awakening when you unconsciously activated your powers for the first time. We felt it was our time to finally guide you back onto the path intended for you. We have witnessed the victories and defeats leading you here."

The woman then walked over to the edge of the pond that the waterfall was in as Raiden followed her.

"When we found you in that clearing, we faced a choice. Bring you here...or end you there."

"You were willing to kill me? For the record, I have been killed countless times."

"And yet with each time, you have been saved. You have yet to taste what true death is like."

The woman turned around to face Raiden. "Your bond to your IS has been strengthened but it is not enough. You may be one of the greatest of all IS pilots in history, but your old training could not prepare you for what is to come. You still have much to learn."

She then pointed at the valley before the two of them.

"Follow us. Seek the answers throughout the valley. You will know when you find them."

The woman disappeared in a flash of blue light as feathers of a swan were all that remained. Raiden, following her suggestion, did what was commanded. As he walked he pondered much about recent events and of the talk he just had.

Fifteen minutes into his walk as Raiden was already trekking all over the place. Wherever his answers were, they lied on the other side. The voice of the woman came back to him in the same manner as the dark lion. A voice in the wilderness.

"There is no greater challenge than to change from within. But that is what we all must do to survive. The most powerful among you cannot stand against the tide that is death. Not even the Brunhilde can find the courage to stand against it."

 _The tide of death? What tide?_

Raiden thought more and more as the woman's words were getting more and more metaphorical, leaving him with vague or no answers to what she was speaking about.

"I witnessed the memories you had suppress, the darkness you kept at bay. And when I realized just how twisted you had become, I knew I had to do something. I still bear the scars of that journey."

Raiden approached an open field where a creek was laid before him. Crossing the large creek meant to hop across large pillars of stone that lead to the other side. The white kimono woman appeared before Raiden from behind from a corner of a tree.

"The reason for having Designated Pilot and Personal IS lies with the very nature of IS itself; possessing self evolving mechanism which is manifested only when IS is kept paired with a pilot for a prolonged time. But your IS core is something that is not of this world for not even Tabane would be able to understand its functions."

The kimono woman approached Raiden as her fingers traced across his body.

"You and Lion Heart share a deep connection that allows the both of you to be of one mind and one body. It is why such powerful opponents could never defeat you."

"I have yet to test my might against people like Squall or Chifuyu for that matter." said Raiden.

"Do not confuse them with yourself." warned the woman. "You have yet to see what their true power is like first hand. For the Brunhilde when she rescued you, you only saw a small fraction of it."

She turned and walked toward another tree before turning around and facing Raiden.

"You obeyed your former mistress without question, sacrificing everything for her triumph. Devotion made you strong. You must become stronger."

Raiden asked back, "If the enemy is willing to sacrifice everything, what price can I pay that they won't?"

"Everyone has limits. You must transcend your own."

Another voice spoke out in response to the question. That voice was made manifest in the form of the dark lion that appeared once again next to the kimono woman.

Raiden finally realized who it was he was speaking to: Lion Heart, its darker half represented by the lion and its good half represented by the kimono woman.

"Your flesh was destroyed before but not your reason for living time and time again." remarked the dark creature.

Raiden was still confused though. He wondered why the manifestations of his IS appear to him now and what they want of him.

"It is time for you to embrace that which you carry. That for which you were born with." said the dark lion. "But we do not offer empty platitudes. We do not promise easy victory."

"All we ask is that you listen with an open mind-and learn from the past." said the woman.

"To forge the future, you must first break with the past. Victory over someone like Madoka requires new perspectives...and new weapons."

"Follow the will of Lion Heart into the wilderness beyond this camp. Find what was left for you, and meet us in the cave by the sacred mountain."

Both the woman and the dark lion disappear into thin air. Raiden turned around and began to walk his path into the unknown.

* * *

 **AT IS ACADEMY...**

Three days have passed and something strange had been happening in the air. A few of the Personal IS pilots were missing from class for they had called in sick, probably due to something they ate. Their desks were empty, and it was cold to the touch. Those Personal IS Pilots simply happen to be Houki, Charlotte, and Laura. Rin was also sick as well according to her classmates from her classroom.

"I wonder where everyone has been?" wondered Ichika to himself. "They looked fine recently but now they're all sick. Just what is going on here?"

But Ichika's concern were over Raiden, who was still gone. It had already been almost a week since Raiden mysteriously disappeared. Officially from his teacher, the class was told Raiden had to attend to some governmental business but to be gone that long became a concern for Ichika and the others present.

After class, Cecilia came to Ichika's room for a lesson of cooking. The blunnette boy did not understand her sad expression lately, but he kindly took her to make rice balls. Ichika helped her make one by guiding her hands with his while standing behind her, causing her to blush, and asked him to show her again.

From the window of Ichika's room though stood a familiar bird-like drone named Laserbeak that was recording events. It then took off unseen by the two and departed to unknown places around the Academy.

* * *

 **AT AOKIGAHARA...**

"Your enemy stole your life through deceit and murder." the dark lion said to Raiden as he jumped from pillar to pillar over a long river. "She is accustomed to the dark. You must strike where she is blind. From within."

Raiden makes it to the other side of the river and proceeds to continue. It was then that the woman spoke to him.

"It will not be enough to defeat Madoka. The power she currently has in her possession are the greatest threats the IS Academy has ever faced. And she will possess more to reach to your level."

Raiden continues his walk towards the cave that was at the other end of the valley. The dark lion speaks to him once more.

"Your mistress and your Mentor have taught you to break your chains, but freedom is not your ultimate goal. You must anchor yourself to power. When Madoka lies defeated, your destiny is to take the Eternal Throne. Any other path will lead only into chaos."

"This includes the teachings you have learned at the Academy." The woman in the kimono said. "The old ways are not enough. You must discover the new path before you."

Eternal Throne. What was so eternal about some throne? Raiden could not understand a damn thing of what they were saying for they only spoke more in metaphors. But were those metaphors a premonition of what is to come in the near future?

The woman in the kimono spoke to Raiden again about fifteen minutes later.

"In life, I had dismissed the notion that you could become an IS pilot. I was wrong. Both you and Lion Heart now share one fate. One purpose. The will of any IS is a flowing current. You can follow or fight it, but it is always there."

Raiden arrived at the intended destination, which led to him first climbing up a 50-step staircase before he found himself before a giant rolling stone covering the cave entrance. Raiden touched the stone before it moved over to the right and a rock cut cave was open before him. Once Raiden entered, the rock slab covered the tomb and only darkness that was pitch black could be seen. But that changed when blue flames illuminated the path.

Raiden walks through the vast cave and finds himself going throuhg a corridor before it opens up to a large room. In the middle of that room stood a throne made purely of stone.

But Raiden was not alone in the room as he found someone before the throne. The figure was adorned in black clothing before it revealed itself by removing its hood.

Raiden was surprised a little bit to be facing his old adversary, Madoka Orimura.

"Tell me...do you believe in fate?" Madoka asked as she activated her IS, Silent Zephyrus.

"I believe in this..." Raiden asked as he activated his IS and charged forth with a drawn gunblade.

From there, the two dueled each other blade to blade in a fight that lasted for five minutes. Their blades came locked together one final time.

"We were partners once!" said Madoka.

"Once."

Raiden merely replied as he disarmed Madoka of her sword and sliced her diagonally, earning a scream from the girl as she crumbled into dust. It turned out to be an illusion of sorts as the woman in the white kimono and the dark armored lion appeared.

"I fought Madoka. She was right here..." said Raiden.

"That was merely a warning by us. A vision." said the woman. "A bond to Lion Heart as intense as yours brings with it powerful insight."

"Heed what you saw." warned the dark lion. "Behind Squall stands Madoka...and behind her, many others. They will stop at nothing to see you captured or destroyed."

The lion then changed the subject.

"The weapon you wield was built for a different purpose, for a different war. A different enemy. It no longer serves you. It must change, as you have."

Raiden finally concluded what the two manifestations wanted.

"You want my IS to evolve...into a 2nd Shift."

Both of them confirmed it as the dark lion explained further.

"You will create a pure extension of Lion Heart's will-one you alone control. With it, you can unite a thousand stars."

"We offer to add our strength to yours, but you must be the guiding hand." explained the kimono woman. "Focus the power, and decide what form it takes."

"Let us begin then. Take the Eternal Throne and forge yourself from within."

The two offered Raiden the stone throne to which Raiden complied as he sat upon it. Emptying his mind, an aura of pure energy surrounded Raiden as the kimono woman and the dark lion poured their powers into him, their respective colors of blue and purple. Crystals formed around the Eternal Throne, ones that were blue and illuminated in a gentle glow as a blue mist was given off while others were dark and chaotic and spewing purple lightning.

 **HOURS LATER...**

Raiden rises from his throne as his eyes glowed blue before they died down. He beheld himself before his new IS in the form of his iron tessen to which Lion Heart took the new form of in its stand-by mode.

"Your IS is now a part of you, along with the weapon you carry." said the dark lion as it pointed to the gunblade in Raiden's arm. It looked like an enhanced version of Blazefire Saber but the blade was now straight like a sword and had an additional mini-blade on the bottom of the blade. It also possesses an arm guard near the hilt. It also had a new name: Overture. ( **Author's Note** : For reference, it is the gunblade Overture from Final Fantasy XIII-2)

"The next time you face Madoka in battle, she will not be ready for you."

"But violence alone can only destroy." said the woman in the kimono. "It does not inspire others to greatness, and it can never rebuild. Only a leader can do that."

"You alone possess leadership qualities unlike any ever seen for it alone can inspire those around you to follow. You witnessed that first hand in your brief time in the military. Leading your fellow students is unlike anything you have done before. Directing the war effort is a mere fraction of the burden you must bear."

"You must not only know when to fight, but when to retreat-or to even make peace with your foe. Return back to the Atrium of this Vault. Your final lesson waits there."

Both the lion and the woman disappear into respective black and white particles of light as Raiden left the Eternal Throne of this Vault and made his way back to the Atrium. But the process was taking longer than usual as Raiden felt like he was loss in the cave. Every turn he made felt like a new one.

"Forget what your old masters taught you. Not even Tabane or Chifuyu understand. The IS is not an ally, slave, or transaction." said the dark lion as it guided him. "The Infinite Stratos is a paradox created unto itself. It empowers, and imprisons. It destroys and unites. It binds the world together, and tears people apart. It has a will...but needs a wielder."

Once back inside the Atrium, Raiden came face to face with a manifestation of Lion Heart in its darker form but much larger, like the size of a tall skyscraper. It's wings, arms, legs, and neck were strangled in chains as it was held back, growling and thrashing about to break free.

"You must learn to accept that which is in front of you." said the kimono woman behind Raiden. "Absorb and accept the creature in front of you and you will have embraced your destiny."

The dark creature came face to face with Raiden as its eyes locked onto his. A low growl was heard in response to his presence as Raiden kept a stern composure.

"What hope do you have to escape such raw fury?" asked the dark lion from behind Raiden.

Raiden answered "Escape is not always impossible. If you accept that death has power over you, it stops being your enemy...and becomes an ally. When that happens...only the wielder can decide what to do next."

Raiden empties himself and allows himself open before the creature. It calms itself down before it closes its eyes and its form dissipates before it is absorbed into Raiden himself. Raiden effortlessly stands his ground as he absorbs in the power and once all is done, his eyes manifest purple before they change to blue.

Raiden turns around to meet the kimono woman and the dark lion.

"You have now become one with your inner self. You are complete." The white kimono woman congratulated. "Some believe you are destined to walk this path. Others think you make the choices that decide their fates."

"Your Academy will collapse if you do not know yourself-and the ideal you serve." warned the dark lion. "Do you understand?"

Raiden nodded and said "I have fully embraced that which was meant to be. What I am meant to do in the end."

"While your IS has changed, one final component remains for it to truly be in its 2nd Shift form. One that only you must find alone." said the kimono woman as she disappeared into white particles of light.

"The final component will appear when death certainly claims your soul. When that time comes, you must be ready." said the dark lion as it disappeared into black winds.

Raiden was left all alone. He then exited out of the cave as the stone slab of the tomb rolled back and sealed the entrance.

 _When death certainly claims my soul. What the hell is that suppose to mean?_

Raiden pondered immensely as he transformed into his jet mode and flew back to the IS Academy with all due haste. Given of how long he had been gone missing, he will most likely face consequences. It would be wise for him to avoid such an outcome from his teacher who is his surrogate sister.

He soon lands back at the entrance of the IS Academy, transforms back into his IS, and deactivates it into its light particles. But a couple steps onto the campus and Raiden hears an eerily familiar sound, like that of a drone but with a high-pitched frequency noise.

"Laserbeak?"

The bird-like drone comes and lands on Raiden's right forearm once he held it up.

"What is it?"

Laserbeak then shows with its optics a holographic screen that details a certain British blond girl doing something to the food being cooked onto the stove. Raiden keeps calm as a cucumber before Wolf came along.

"Wolf? What have you got in your mouth, boy?"

The wolf-like robot hands Raiden the suspected weapon of the crime in his left hand from its mouth.

A woman's perfume, with a British family insignia on its front. Raiden could not help but be intrigued.

* * *

Cecilia trotted back to her room like nothing bad had happened. She already left after her session with Ichika on how to make rice balls. Now all she needs is practice but Cecilia may have forgotten how to make them just because of feeling Ichika's hands on hers while making them.

Cecilia made it back to her room where it was dark. She set herself down and delighted in what she had experienced. She giggled to her amusement yet wondered why everyone else was sick after she did some cooking with them.

"You've come a long way since we last met each other years ago."

A voice spoke to Cecilia from behind and out from the shadows emerged Raiden.

"Aniki?"

"I'm sorry for intruding in." Raiden apologized.

"Oh no! I was just...Well, where were you?" asked Cecilia, who was still surprised to see him in her room.

"Long story. It's complicated to explain." Raiden said simply. He then decided to switch subjects.

"Care to explain what this is though?" He held up a bottle of perfume in his hand. Cecilia's perfume, and it made the British girl shocked.

"That's...my perfume." said Cecilia.

"And according to what I have uncovered, you used it on some foods that then turned to poison, which has put our Personal IS pilots out of commission except for me, you, and Ichika."

Cecilia was even more shocked. She did not even know what to say. How did Raiden even know of all of this? How was he able to uncover what she did? Did he happen to spy on her form somewhere without being seen?

But that was not her main concern. Her main concern was Raiden who showed no expression on his face as he revealed the evidence. Fear crept over her as Raiden approached her once he set the perfume down on the table. Cecilia could not move, almost as if she was immobilized by some sort of spell.

"Looks like you need this more than I do."

It was then that Raiden handed to Cecilia a keychain pendant that held the head of a silver lion with blue eyes. It hung from Raiden's right index finger as Cecilia looked at it.

"I've always had a fond of lions. They demonstrate such resolve and courage for the protection of their pride. A country like England has a lion as their national symbol, do they not?"

Cecilia was surprised. She recognized that silver pendant from a long time ago. Slowly, she took the pendant into her hands as she then felt a memory rush within her. Her legs became shaky and she nearly fell forwards had it not been for Raiden to catch her.

"Easy. I got you."

Raiden set Cecilia on the bed, making her sit on its edge while Raidens tood by the window of her dorm and looked out.

"You kept it after all this time?" asked Cecilia.

Raiden smiled as he turned to face her. "I never forgot those days, Cecil. When I was your bodyguard and you were but a small child."

Cecilia pouted as she puffed her cheeks. "I wasn't a small child! I was a noble!"

"A young noble," Raiden clarified with emphasis on the word young. "Whose fortune was in danger from those who'd want to steal it after her parents' passing."

Cecilia dispersed her pouty attitude and gave a solemn look. The memory of hearing her parents' death from the train accident still haunted her mind even to this day.

"When she was being targeted by people who attempted to take it by force or through subtle manipulation, MI6 requested from the CIA an agent to act as her guardian. The first day the two met, the young noble was skeptical of the agent's duty because of the blindfold."

Cecilia could not help but laugh a little if not be a bit embarrassed. "I was young back then. I did not know what to make of you then."

Raiden continued with his story.

"Eventually the two got along after the young noble found out about the agent's talents, seeing each other like brother and sister. I still remember the day you called me Aniki out of fear."

Cecilia blushed. She did not know what to say as her words kept on stuttering, making the blind boy laugh and making the blonde girl in turn pout.

"Still though..." said Cecilia as she changed her mood. "You haven't told me anything of your past."

Raiden said after a brief pause of silence. "One day, you will know. Until then..."

Raiden then turns to Cecilia going back to the subject at hand in the first place.

"You may have had flawed talents in cooking but at least your tried. It showed the courage you had in you and I'm happy that, at the very least, you are still learning."

Raiden then came over to pat Cecilia on the head, earning her attention. Raiden smiled and said,

"You sure have come a long way, little Cecil."

Cecilia could not help but tear a little as she hugged Raiden. The big brother figure she wanted that she always treated as family despite some harsh cruelty to him. But in that time, he was always there to protect her from danger, even going far as to help her train her to protect herself for when he was gone.

Raiden could not help but hug back affectionately, glad to know that he has a little sister figure whom neither have forgotten each other.

The two of them released their hug shortly afterwards.

"I've heard you have been learning to make rice balls. Mind if I have some? I'm curious to try it."

Cecilia was surprised as she answered. "Oh, sure."

Cecilia remembered what Ichika taught her as she washed the rice and cooked it. Raiden was minding his own business looking at his iron tessen as he analyzed his IS.

Cecilia has the rice ready as she picks up a chunk and tries her best to form the rice ball. But when she was practicing with Ichika, she felt his hands over hers and was not paying attention at the time. So instead of making a ball, she made a giant chunk of rice in an odd shape.

Unaware that Raiden was behind her watching, he surprised her with this statement.

"That's an interesting shape you made there. It'd be a shame if something happened to it."

Cecilia was so shocked that she chunk the rice at Raiden and knocked him out. Rice decorated all over his face. Hot rice at that as it burned his face and he yelled in pain. Cecilia just stood there confused, wondering what she had done wrong.

Once again, she is a bad cook but at least she is learning.

* * *

"Un, un, this meat's delicious. Ah, wine please~"

The one indulging in her food without restraint was the rare genius in the world, the amazing scientist who created the IS, Shinonono Tabane. As for how Phantom Task managed to invite this Tabane, who's being searched for all over the world, to this underground restaurant, only Squall knew.

"Are you satisfied? Professor Tabane?"

"Hm? Well, everything's fine except for the sleeping drug in the soup~"

Even as her plan was revealed, Squall showed no change in expression. What was more surprising however was that Tabane finished off the bowl of soup with sleeping drug in it, but showed no signs of being affected.

 _Well, this is to be expected. It's 'that' Shinonono Tabane after all. My pet would also do the same._

Squall had her elbows on the table, giving a smiling look on her face.

"Then, Professor Tabane, can you please consider about what we discussed?"

"What is it?"

"About creating new IS for Phantom Task. With the cores, of course."

"Ahaha, nope~. That's very troublesome."

Tabane had no intention of hinting that she could still create new IS cores as she continued to munch on the pork ribs and stared at the menu indecently as she continued to place orders.

"Fuu…you won't agree no matter how we ask?"

"Nope~."

Squall then decided to switch topics.

"Then how about this: the retrieval of Raiden Hataru?"

This made Tabane stop her eating and drinking. She set her spoon down and pondered a bit before she nodded her head.

"Now that I can do! Whatcha need~?"

Squall was a bit surprised but she again showed no expression. But this was good news for her, well, for someone else more like.

"I will let her explain." said Squall as the IS gun of Silent Zephyrus was pointed at Tabane's head from behind. With a partially deployed arm, the figure was black yet she wore a loose cowl of sorts on her head, as if she was concealing her visage for she showed only the left side of her face that bore a cold and emotionless expression. The other half was concealed in the dark.

 _Nice going, M, perfect timing._

"Hmm, that's an interesting unit you have." Tabane said as she examined the partially deployed Silent Zephyrus and its pilot. Tabane instantly closes the distance between them, and actually stands on the rifle barrel nonchalantly. The moment Madoka thought about shaking her off, the rifle was 'disassembled' into pieces by Tabane's fingers.

A curious Tabane continued to stare at Madoka's face without moving as she got off the rifle. Madoka did not dare to move at all for she had no patience, even as she kept her gun pointed at the Rabbit. It felt as if her physical body would be 'disassembled' too if she made a single move.

"Ahahaha! What's your name? Aha, ahaha, how about I make guess? Fu, fufu."

Tabane's laughing away with her hands on her belly, ostensibly finding it funny.

"Orimura—Madoka, right?"

Squall showed a bit of a shocked expression while Madoka's kept hers the same. She growled a little in a quiet tone as the Rabbit was beginning to get on her nerves.

"Bingo! Hehe, in that case."

After making a thinking look, Tabane turned to Squall and said,

"Hey, if it's this kid's personal machine, I can make a new one for you "

Madoka let out another growl but a little louder than the last. Her growls were like that of an animal or a monster that would scare even the mightiest of all the predatorial animals on earth. It was like the mix of a lion and a tiger all together. ( **Author's note** : Think of it like Megatron's growls from the movies)

"That's why, eheheh! Come over to my side, nn. Hey, hey, can I take this kid away?"

Squall could only show a bitter expression. Besides, Madoka was her only trump card at this point. If she were to be taken away, there would be huge hurdles in the process. Plus, this business with the IS creator was strictly for Madoka's purpose and her personal idea.

"Why? You're so petty. Well, it doesn't matter. Hey, hey, Madocchi, what kind of personalized machine do you wish for? Long distanced? Close distanced? Special armed? Armor focused? Or mobility focused?"

Tabane showed an urge to create as her eyes were dazzling like a child holding a crayon. Madoka left out a smile, an evil smile; one that spelled determination. As she did, a long vertical mark on the dark part of her cowl coming from her right face glowed red, along with her right eye that shone bright red. Her low yet audible growl was then heard once more.

For someone like her, only one thing was clear before her very eyes.

She would have her revenge.


	26. Chapter 25: Hours Before the Storm

**CHAPTER 25**

Everyone was riding a Shinkansen train to Kyoto. A class field trip was planned for a majority of the first-year students to go visit the ancient capital. Many were excited to go, including the Personal IS pilots.

Unfortunately, there was one person missing.

 **TWO DAYS EARLIER…**

" _Are you really serious about this?" Chifuyu asked Raiden in her office. She was holding a note from Raiden that was more like a letter from Miriam about his presence requested back at the CIA's headquarters._

" _If I were not serious, I wouldn't have told you. Either that or I could bring my boss over."_

 _Raiden was sitting across her desk in a fixed posture. He was calm. Perhaps too calm given of the circumstances before him. Chifuyu though was not happy one bit but she kept it cool. She cursed Miriam however, again, that she needed Raiden's presence immediately._

" _You know that I cannot exactly let you go to meet your boss." said Chifuyu._

" _And you know that you cannot stop me from doing so either." said Raiden. "Orders came from the Director after all."_

" _I am not one to complain, but why would the Director ask you back?" asked Chifuyu._

" _They never said. Though I may have a guess." said Raiden. This prompted Chifuyu to listen closely as she brought her interlocked hands to her face, her eyes and ears open._

" _Phantom Task?" asked Chifuyu._

" _Most likely." answered Raiden._

 _Chifuyu closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. She then said, "The CIA have plenty of people to figure out if it really is them or not. They do not need you for it."_

" _And yet my time with Phantom Task has given me knowledge that the CIA knows not of. Without my required presence there, I fear they will be one step behind to whatever Phantom Task has planned."_

 _There was a hint of blue in Raiden's voice, looking like the memories of his time with them resurfaced once again. Yet he had it under control and retained his expression._

 _Chifuyu could only watch as Raiden stands up and looks out of a window, almost as if he was locked in deep thought. Coming up behind him from her desk, Chifuyu asked,_

" _Why so glum though, Raiden? You do not need to be afraid of them coming again because we've driven them back before."_

 _Raiden shakes his head in agreement. "I do not disagree with that, Aneue. It's just…" Raiden took a brief moment to explain what was troubling him._

" _A small part of me hopes to change your little sister's mind, not kill her outright."_

 _Chifuyu then exclaimed, "Raiden. You know as well as I that the only thing that will kill her in the end is her own twisted arrogance!"_

 _Raiden could only give a small but audible 'Hmph' as he looks back to the ground, seeing everyone outside having their lunch. Chifuyu then took back her statement._

" _I'm sorry. I know the two of you had quite a history given of what I know."_

 _Raiden then concluded, "But the Madoka Orimura that I once fought beside perished years ago. The day she chose to stay with Phantom Task."_

 _Raiden then turned towards Chifuyu and said, "Phantom Task may stay quiet for now but that doesn't mean they do not have a plan to return. And while my former mistress Squall is ruthless, she is far from predictable."_

 _Chifuyu gritted her teeth but did not show it upon the mention of Squall. To have heard form Miriam of what she did to Raiden made her want to fight her personally and end her. But that honor belongs only to Raiden, her former pet, for only Raiden would know how to defeat someone like her._

 _She could only sigh and close her eyes._

" _Very well. But you better be in Kyoto by the time we arrive there. We already have a schedule planned for the next few days of visit."_

" _I'm sure one of those days with Phantom Task will be on the schedule." said a sarcastic Raiden as he left without hearing Chifuyu chuckle quietly in the background by the joke._

' _I sure have one reckless little brother.' She thought to herself._

 **PRESENT…**

Inside the Shinkansen to Kyoto, Houki, Cecilia, Laura, and Charlotte were playing a card game. Like a high stakes game at some casino in Las Vegas, they were all determined to win. At least there was no gambling being involved.

"The goddess of victory is truly smiling upon me." said Cecilia before she gave her usual arrogant laugh.

"The victory shall belong to me, Alcott!" cried Laura as she readied her card, knowing she will win as Houki focused on her deck in her hands.

"I cannot afford myself to lose to these psychos…Raiden, I wish you were here."

After Houki played her move, Laura's poker face soon turned into a smug as she revealed her trump card, and the samurai girl cried in defeat with a dark cloud over her head.

Ichika was on the other side from where the girls were. He pulls out a digital camera as Charlotte curiously leaned over.

"Is that your camera, Ichika?" asked the French girl.

"It is. Something I brought from home to take a class memento."

By the time the train made its way to Kyoto Station, everyone was meeting at the inn that they were all staying at.

"Listen up, everyone! All of you will have free time with your groups." said Yamada-sensei.

"We're all scheduled to pay a visit to Kiyomizu-dera temple this evening. Be sure to get there on time, and don't be late!" said Chifuyu.

"Yes, ma'am!" The students said in unison.

"Dismissed!"

The students explored Kyoto, having a good time taking pictures at the beautiful and ancient architecture, each filled with extensive history. Ichika was taking pictures he saw while dealing with the first-class students that tag him along. Oh, how he wished Raiden were here to help ease the pressure off of him but with him not joining everyone on the train, he now has to deal with the pressure all by himself. So far, he managed to control the situation by making them take turns so that they do not fight.

Yamada-sensei approached Ichika when he was taking pictures of the inn.

"Ichika, a piece of luggage was just delivered for you."

Ichika went to check to see what it was. It was merely a blue hard-plastic luggage bag with a tag written "Sender: Secret." Strangely enough, there was another writing which said "To: Raiden."

This made Ichika confused as he was told by Yamada-sensei that the package was meant for him, so why would Raiden's name be on it? Perhaps Yamada-sensei told him to take care of it considering that Raiden was not here yet.

Kanzashi check up on Ichika from behind.

"Is something wrong, Ichika?"

"This luggage was delivered for me, but I do not know who sent it. It also has Raiden's name on it."

Suddenly, the piece of luggage moved by itself that startled the two. It flipped on its side before it popped open, revealing Tatenashi Sarashiki to their shock.

"Tada! It's your student council president, Tatenashi!"

"T-Tatenashi-san?!" exclaimed Ichika.

"O-Oneechan? You…!"

Kanzashi and Ichika proceeded to shove Tatenashi back into the luggage, somehow able to fit her in, and throw her back onto the delivery truck, slamming its back doors before the truck took off. They took a breather, but what they did not realize was that Tatenashi was behind a pillar, giggling to herself. She then heard the sound of a piano being played and went off to find it.

* * *

After following the source of the piano, Tatenashi looked inside of a building within the inn and saw a baby grand black piano being played, with someone sitting in front and playing it. Tatenashi recognized the person due to its familiar long silver hair and gray trench coat.

Tatenashi slowly approached Raiden from behind, ready to pounce on him but not before she stopped and found herself enraptured by the song being played along with Raiden's voice as he started to sing. ( **Author's note** : The song is Linkin Park – Iridescent. I chose it to pay a tribute to Chester Bennington's tragic passing. #RIP)

 _ **VERSE 1**_

 _When you were standing in the wake of devastation_

 _When you were waiting on the edge of the unknown_

 _And with the cataclysm raining down_

 _Insides crying, "Save me now!"_

 _You were there, impossibly alone_

 _ **CHORUS**_

 _Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?_

 _You build up hope, but failure's all you've known_

 _Remember all the sadness and frustration_

 _And let it go. Let it go_

 _ **VERSE 2**_

 _And in a burst of light that blinded every angel_

 _As if the sky had blown the heavens into stars_

 _You felt the gravity of tempered grace_

 _Falling into empty space_

 _No one there to catch you in their arms_

 _ **CHORUS (2x)**_

 _Let it go (4x)_

 _ **CHORUS**_

 _Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?_

 _You build up hope, but failure's all you've known_

 _Remember all the sadness and frustration_

 _And let it go. Let it go_

Tatenashi could not help but let out a tear as it rolled down her face. The song truly reflected Raiden's past life, of all the struggles he endured, the failures he had, the mistakes he made, and of how in the end, the simple thing to do was to let it go. The melody of the music combined with the surprising singing voice Raiden had truly moved her.

She then noticed Raiden stop and let down his head. Perhaps the memories of his happy life in the past, especially with his Mentor, were coming back to him. Tatenashi came by and wrapped her arms around him in a comforting hug. Raiden, recognizing her presence, put his right hand over hers and held it.

"Thank you…" said Raiden.

After a moment of silence, Tatenashi said,

"I didn't know you could play piano."

"I learned piano from my Mentor when I was a child. But this song is my favorite to play."

"Why's that?" asked Tatenashi.

"Not only was it also my Mentor's favorite, but it also helped me throughout my struggles after she died."

"It's a beautiful song. Was it the first one she taught you?"

Raiden smiled. "It was. After she helped me with the basics, we started to pick which song from her music playlist we wanted to play. She was the one who suggested this song and helped me master it. From then on, I played it every day for practice."

Tatenashi relaxed her chin on Raiden's shoulder as one of his hands played the tune of the song, mainly the verses.

"I spend so much time fighting that I forget that there are things you learn by doing nothing…By just spending time with the people I care and love."

"And what have you learned from me, Aruji-sama?" asked Tatenashi.

"That despite your cat-like nature that I find seductive, you were always one to care for someone in the Academy, especially if that person is someone you fall in love with."

"I was your first girlfriend, after all." joked Tatenashi.

Raiden chuckled and remarked, "The best."

The two remained silent until Tatenashi decided to sit on Raiden's lap. Raiden could see from her eyes that she wanted something as she stared at his hands on the keyboard. She placed her hands in the same exact position as Raiden's.

"Can you teach me that song?" asked Tatenashi.

"I thought you never asked."

Raiden plays the song again as Tatenashi's hands and eyes follow the notes played. The two felt connected for it felt to Tatenashi that she was playing the song. Halfway through it and Tatenashi, a prodigy as she is, played the song naturally, the music giving off its calm atmosphere that dispersed all other outside noise.

* * *

Autumn maple leaves scattered around Cecilia as she admired the colors and the beautiful nature. They did not exactly remind her of home but the scenery was very nice. Maybe she can get her maid Chelsea to order one of these trees, provided they do not rip one from the ground and simply ship it back to England.

"Dancing in the Autumn breeze, the season of love has arrived."

"Hey, Cecilia, mind if I take a picture?" said Ichika as he readied his camera.

The British blonde held her cheeks while he took some pictures, containing her red face.

"I would like to see the pictures, they must be beautiful."

As Ichika scrolled through the pictures, Cecilia smiled on until the last picture ruined the quality. Apparently, a gust of wind obstructed Ichika that he accidentally took a picture of the maple tree.

"What on Earth is that last one suppose to be, Ichika-san?" Cecilia asked while puffing her cheeks.

"Oh? I was just taking a picture of the maple leaf tree."

Ichika was then met with an angry lion of Britain.

 **LATER ON…**

At the Jishu Shrine, Rin held a ladle in her hands to wash herself in order to be purified. Following traditional customs at shrines and temples, she then clapped her hands twice after bowing to make a prayer.

 _It's not like I asked a favor of the gods, but since the shrine is so famous for its successful relationships, my prayers might be answered, right?_

Rin prayed one last time to make her wish come true.

 _Please, will you make it so that I notice how I feel about it, even if it's just a little?_

Just as Rin bowed and turned her back, she unexpectedly ran into Ceiclia who also had the same intention as her. Cecilia had a good match charm in her hands, and Rin knew she was up to something.

"What a coincidence, Cecilia," Rin said while hiding her hands behind her back. "I guess this shrine is famous for something I might not head of? I saw the shrine to see what's up, so here I am."

"Oh, I just happen to be in the same area, so I want to check it out as well!"

Both the Chinese girl and British blonde gave a good laugh uncomfortably before they glared at each other like old rivals. Out of nowhere though came a new voice.

"I wish for my wife and I to be blessed with many children."

Dumbstruck, the two turned around and saw Laura.

"Laura! What did you—"

"Just say?"

Laura turned with a confused tilt of her head. "Beg your pardon? Is this not the place to make your wishes come true?"

Rin and Cecilia sighed at Laura for not having any common sense at all. Now they really wished they would just fire that subordinate of hers back at home and get her mind straight, along with the rest of her squad that may have the same mindset.

* * *

At Fushimi Inari-taisha, Yamada-sensei and Chifuyu walked past the red torii gates that stretched for miles on end.

"Excuse me, Orimura-sensei? Is there something that's been bothering you at this moment?" Yamada-sensei asked.

"Definitely, our Academy and students have already been target by constant third party assaults, most of which have been Phantom Task. Keep your eyes open on everything, and make sure that our students are actually enjoying the trip.

Chifuyu wanted to take the chance for the students to have fun on their own, but ensuring their safety upon them as well. If it weren't for her, who would look out for them?

Both Chifuyu and Yamada-sensei stopped to see Raiden sitting down on a bench and looking out towards the city, admiring its view. That is until he pulled out a recording and played it, loud enough for him to hear.

" _You have no soul"_ Raiden's voice spoke first before the other one followed.

" _That is why I have no fear."_

The next line came a few moments later.

" _Besides, who would you be without me, Raiden?"_

Raiden stops the recording as Chifuyu tells Yamada-sensei to give her and Raiden some privacy.

"That voice…It sounds familiar." said Chifuyu.

"Remember that unmanned IS you and I fought weeks ago?" asked Raiden.

Chifuyu nodded. How could she ever forget the sound of Behemoth Deception's voice. The sound of her little sister.

Raiden continued saying, "Within that manmade prototype I fought, I sensed the presence of Madoka."

"I did as well. But how do you think she could control an unmanned IS like that?"

"I don't know." said Raiden. "But I fear what I did to the golem may have had an effect on Madoka's mind. And now this has become personal for her."

"What do you mean?" asked Chifuyu.

"Madoka's target has never been you or Ichika. It has always been me. The assassin that nearly killed Ichika that one night was her. She would go by any means necessary to lure me out and destroy me."

"Is that why the CIA called you back for that meeting you had?" asked Chifuyu.

"It was." confirmed Raiden. "They detected Phantom Task's presence in Kyoto, hiding until they come out to strike. They wanted me to be aware because the only reason they would be here in Kyoto—"

"Would be because of you." finished Chifuyu.

Both remained silent as they both confirmed why. It would be the only reason aside from gathering data that Phantom Task would return. For right now though, both of them could see the storm on the horizon and had merely hours to enjoy the clam before it arrives.

"Well, let's not worry at that for the moment. Right now, I want you to enjoy the time you have." Chifuyu said.

"Understood." said Raiden as he walked down from the mountain, his mind still thinking of things. He can still hear that one question Madoka/Behemoth Deception asked in the recording.

* * *

"That will be 300 yen, please."

The store clerk gave Ichika two dang served on a skewer covered in sesame seed paste. Ichika placed the money to the clerk, giving thanks. Ichika enjoyed the dumpling and sweet mixed together, and the seed paste made it even better. The store clerk smiled at Ichika before they parted away.

"Hey there, Orimu!" Honne Nohotoke, in her dark green kimono while hopping like a rabbit, called out to Ichika.

"Umm, Nohohon-san? What are you doing?"

"Help me, I'm being chased by Kan-chan~!" Honne exclaimed in her usual sleepy voice.

"W-wait up, please!" Kanzashi panted from keeping up with Honne. She too was wearing a kimono of her own in blue, along with the beautiful flower design pattern decorated on the silk.

"Kanzashi, what's up with the kimono?"

"Ichika?" Kanzashi blushed. "Umm, it wasn't my idea, I got it because everyone else said I should wear one. I didn't want to, but you know."

Ichika smiled at her cute appearance. "You look absolutely beautiful in it, Kanzashi."

"You think so?"

"Of course!"

 ***SHING!***

A combat knife was thrown past his eyes, scaring the crap out of Ichika. He knew right away who the person throwing the knife was.

"Target on sight."

"Ichika, what were you telling her?" asked Rin. "Spill it!"

"Unforgivable!" cried Cecilia.

Thinking fast, Ichika grabbed Kanzashi and ran away from the trio as they gave chase to pay him back for not understanding their feelings.

"Get back here!" They all cried.

Holding onto Kanzashi's hand for dear life, Ichika's pursuers were hot on his tail. Running like a sheep away from a pack of wolves, Ichika did not notice he was about to run into a rickshaw.

One crash and mini-explosion later and the ricks collapsed as a metal wheel came off and rolled down the stairs.

To make things worse, Charlotte just happened to be sitting in the rickshaw, and saw Ichika holding Kanzashi.

"Unh, what happened?" The French girl rubbed her head to shake away the dizziness. "What's going on here?"

By the time Ichika woke up, he saw his attackers pursuing him as he ran once again with Kanzashi in tow, the girl with swirly eyes as she was pulled effortlessly. Charlotte, confused, tilted her head, wondering what was going on.

* * *

The hours passed by as Raiden stood on a stone bridge, thinking of Madoka. Behind his blindfold he narrowed his eyes at the horizon, wondering where his old friend and rival was at unless she is watching from the shadows and waiting, observing Raiden.

The two's history has been one full of conflict. Once they were fellow partners and equals, working together on a variety of missions assigned to them by their superiors. Both of them trained and sparred each other as neither would win in their duels. But as Project Akuruka advanced, so too did Raiden's physique and skills by a margin. And with every victory he earned against Madoka, he grew in more favor of his mistress Squall while earning the ire and hatred of his former partner. Raiden knew that Madoka would do anything to surpass him in power by any means necessary…and Raiden would do the same to her.

His train of thought was broken when Raiden heard a voice from behind him.

"…Raiden?"

Raiden turned around to see Houki.

"Houki? Where are the others?"

"They went off on their own." Houki then approached the blind boy and asked him one question.

"Why didn't you join us on the train?"

Raiden answered simply, "I was called in by my boss. They wanted to discuss something…sensitive."

Raiden had to keep it quiet but it made his vixen all the more suspicious. Seeing a bamboo forest not far from here, he quickly changed topics.

"There's a bamboo forest. Want to take a walk there with me?"

"Ah, yes! Sure!"

Raiden and Houki walked alone, hand in hand, within the bamboo forest of the temple grounds. Admiring its beauty, they could not help but feel relaxed and feel like they traveled back in time to ancient Japan.

"So peaceful, lovely." commented Houki.

"Indeed." said Raiden softly. A part of his mind was still focused on his history with Madoka. This made Houki turn her head to see Raiden's serious expression.

"Hey, are you alright? You're not looking like your usual self."

Raiden, using his smart head to cover up his real thoughts, said, "It's too quiet here in Kyoto. I have a feeling we only have hours before the calm before the storm is over."

"You think…there's going to be another attack?" asked Houki.

"Maybe. With the recent attacks lately on all of us, I fear something may crop up and we won't recognize it before it's too late."

Houki stopped her tracks as Raiden looked back. She had her head down for some odd reason. This prompted Raiden to approach her and ask,

"What's wrong?"

Houki's arms then began to shake before her mind had a flashback to Raiden in his Feral Mode, lunging at Houki before she unwillingly stabbed him.

She could not speak as her hands began to shake more and more. Raiden then pulled her into a hug and eased her worries by rubbing her back.

"The last time you were out of control, I…I-"

"Hey." Raiden said as he lifted Houki's chin to meet her eyes. Tears were already beginning to form on the corners of her eyes.

"I was well aware of what was happening. And I do not blame you for what you did."

Houki's fears were still not eased. "It still doesn't make me any easier. Why do you have to be so calm about this? Why do you always throw away your life so recklessly?"

Raiden could not help but recall that same question that Madoka, as Behemoth Deception, asked Raiden in their fight. Raiden then responded.

"To protect the people I care for most, I would lay down my life for you." Raiden cupped Houki's left cheek with his right hand. "It is not the first time death has claimed me, but I always remind myself never to leave everyone behind without a care in the world, knowing that I would hurt them in the process, including you."

Houki's forehead was met with Raiden's as he continued.

"You are the world to me, along with Tatenashi and Charlotte. And I would do anything to ensure you are protected."

Houki could not help but smile. It was then that a growl interrupted their romantic moment, which came from Houki's stomach. The samurai girl blushed instantly, gave a little squeal of surprise, and held her tummy. Raiden could not help but chuckle a little, to the embarrassment of the vixen.

"Haven't eaten anything?" asked Raiden with a smile.

"Mou." Houki puffed her cheeks.

"Hehe. Go get something to eat. I am just going to take a few minutes more in this place to clear my thoughts."

Houki was a bit concerned and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Don't worry. I'll be fine."

After Houki left the bamboo forest, Raiden was alone. All he could hear was silence along with the movements of the leaves as the gentle wind blew by. It was serene and tranquil, almost as if nothing wrong was going to happen. Or so he would like to think…

As Raiden walked by a part of the walkway, he heard a voice in front of him from the darker area that was shrouded by the shadows of the bamboo forest.

"Here you are at last, Raiden." A female and mature voice said. Raiden could not help but feel tense as he was all too aware of who that voice was, even after six years of not seeing her since he was a child.

"Are you now strong enough to face me?" asked the woman as she appeared from the shadows. She was wearing a dark pink dress that was outfitted with a purple cloth, giving off that mature adult charm all over. Not even Raiden could resist its aura of seduction, even as a child.

Squall Meusel, Raiden's old teacher and caretaker when he was still in Phantom Task. Raiden recognized her immediately and drew out his IS tessen.

"Mistress!"

The atmosphere quaked somewhat but at the same time, it was still. Master and student finally reunited after all this time, for Squall had finally gotten the chance to see her pet face to face after so long.

"I've waited six years to see you again, to see you obtain that level of revenge." said Squall.

"What are you talking about?"

"The determination to walk the path I set for you. The merciless heart that abandons friends! That is what will lead you to your end."

"Abandoning my friends?" asked Raiden as he was a little surprised. He knew that Squall was not saying this out of taunt but rather something more, for she always was one to hide something behind her words.

Squall walked forward and came towards an arm's length to her former pupil. She continued on her speech.

"Deep inside your heart, you crave for vengeance for what was lost. That is why you act alone, is it not? By now, M should be having her way with the other boy. And you did not even try to go save him. Does that not prove you think nothing of your friends?"

 _Think nothing of them?_

Raiden could not help but feel afflicted by her words. His hunch was right about Phantom Task being in the area but were they expecting him and his class to come to Kyoto? Had everything today just been one deathtrap that everyone has potentially stepped into? Raiden could not help but lower his guard a little.

Squall came forward and stroked her pet's face seductively as she walked around him before placing her hands on his shoulders from behind.

"You have been doing well, such is life on the battlefield. Now, show me—the strength of your pride!"

Raiden was stunned. Deciphering her words, he knew that this was a trap. He could not help but not strike at his former teacher and caretaker as he lowered his tessen to his side. This was his caretaker that sexually harassed him the most as a child yet he just could not do it. Her words were always her weapon rather than her actions and he just could not find the strength to attack. If there was anything that Raiden could never muster against, it was his old mistress.

When Squall saw Raiden lowering his guard, she became amused. Her words must've affected him deeply as her blood began to boil somewhat. She then gave a seductive hug to Raiden as she spoke to his right ear.

"If your fears have taken hold of you, then I understand. I will not run nor hide." Squall then brings out a shoe knife and strikes at Raiden's right leg. The lion did not move but he flinched as he felt the injury on his right leg. Though it was a minor cut, it was enough to keep him somewhat at a disadvantage, for Squall knew where he was most vulnerable physically, emotionally, and mentally.

She then used her arms to stroke at Raiden's chassis as one reached under his shirt and onto his chest and another on his abs which descended ever slowly to his private area. Raiden twitched a bit as he felt her cold and smooth hands reach near his rod that was naturally stimulating from her actions. Her breathing of sexual arousal could be heard in Raiden's ear as clear as day.

She then whispered her final words.

"I will be waiting until the time comes…when you return to me." She then licked at Raiden's cheek before she let go and disappeared into the shadows, giggling as she left. Raiden could only say one thing, wondering if she will hear it.

"It's not as simple as you might think."

Raiden then walked away, thinking of Squall's words. In the process, he unconsciously dropped his tessen and kept on walking, almost as of the life of him had paled. After walking away, a certain black-haired girl that resembled Chifuyu found the tessen and picked it up before gazing at it, knowing who it belonged to.

* * *

At Kiyomizu-dera temple, everyone was enjoying the great view from the balcony as it overlooked Kyoto. Raiden was once again not with the crowd, making Chifuyu wonder just where he was. Despite the fact that he can take care of himself, it still did not ease her one bit, thinking Phantom Task may have apprehended him by now.

Ichika was taking lots of photos of both the students and the ancient temple. He then saw his sister looking out to the horizon and quickly snapped a photo. Unfortunately, that did not escape Chifuyu's eyes.

"Well done. You just took a photo of a woman without her permission."

Ichika stuttered and did not know what to say, thinking he might earn a swift punishment from her. But then Chifuyu smiled and said,

"Send me a copy when you do."

Charlotte and Cecilia both come up to Ichika and ask what picture it was that he took.

"Ichika-san? What did you take?" asked Cecilia.

"I am curious as well." agreed Charlotte.

The rest of the crowd had soon followed and were also curious. Coming up to Ichika like a pack of hungry wolves, they all wanted to see until Ichika accidentally drops it and falls into the trees and bushes below the temple.

"It's alright. I'll get it."

Ichika goes down from the main temple to get it but comes across something that slowly emerges from behind a tree.

It looked like Silent Zephyrus but it was much more advanced, highly advanced. It was black and pink in its colors as its wings were spread out.

Ichika looked in awe of the IS before he recognized the voice that spoke to him.

"It's been some time, brother. You're the first one to have your life cut off."

"What? Madoka?" asked Ichika in shock.

"The same."

Ichika was then serious as he asked, "What is that you want? Why are you after me?"

Madoka scoffs at her twin brother. "You are just small fry. My main target is Chifuyu Orimura. It'd be a waste to kill you, considering that you are not the boy I am after to draw out."

"I will not allow you to kill Chifuyu-nee!" Ichika proclaimed.

"Really?"

Madoka then fires from her IS as Ichika stood, unaware of what just happened. But at the last minute, he was pushed aside by someone who caught him to get away from the blast. Ichika adjusted himself before he saw Raiden on top of him and holding him.

"Anisama?"

Ichika looked to see a burned mark on Raiden's upper back, his trench coat somewhat ripped by the edge of the blast. It streaked horizontally across and burned black as char. Raiden looked up, albeit in pain, and asked,

"You okay, Anchan?"

"Y-Yes. I'm okay."

The two got up and looked to see Madoka in her new IS as she hovered above them. Madoka could not help but smile gleefully in delight, seeing her old rival once again.

"Raiden. Been well? I see you managed to rescue your so-called 'little brother.' I was certain he would be turned into ashes had you not rescued him."

Ichika gritted his teeth as he stood behind Raiden while the blind boy withstood his composure and serious expression.

"I know why you are here, Madoka." said Raiden.

"Hardly a surprise, Raiden." retorted Madoka. "After all, you and I have been at this for a long time. And your time has come to an end!"

Madoka then draws out her primary weapon, a large energy sword about the same size as her IS that glowed in a pink energy of sorts. Raiden gripped his hands as Ichika gritted his teeth.

* * *

"Houki-chan, I haven't found Ichika. Have you?" asked Cecilia as she met the vixen.

"No. And I haven't seen Raiden either." said Houki.

"And it'll be the last time you ever see them!" cried a new voice as the two girls looked to see Autumn in her IS, Arachne, firing a beam at them from her blaster rifle.

The two girls got out of the way and deployed there is as they realized that Phantom Task had returned.

On the train, Yamada-sensei converses to Chifuyu.

"Orimura-sensei, Shinonono, Alcott, Orimura, and Hataru are not on the train."

Everyone else had been accounted for, including half of the Personal IS pilots.

"Go back to the inn and get them immediately!" Chifuyu ordered. The train however had other ideas as the doors closed and the train began to move on its own. Everyone thought this was normal but to the teachers and Personal IS pilots, something was not right.

On the rooftop of Kyoto Tower, Squall watched as the action unfolded through her gold spyglass, smiling at her troops keeping the others busy. From behind, Tatenashi folded her arms, confronting the leader of her squad.

"Here you are, gazing down from the highest perspective in Kyoto. What are you up to this time? Stirring up trouble I bet."

Squall smiled as she said. "Moscow's Thick Fog, if I recall. That is the name of your IS, is it not?"

Tatenashi sneered at the old name of her IS while keeping a smile. "Not any more, it's called Mysterious Lady."

"Such confidence in your voice, and just what is it that you do know about our plans in the first place?"

"Who says that I will let you do whatever satisfies you?"

Squall smirked at Tatenashi, enjoying the tense moment as she turned around and faced the Student Council President.

"Let me rephrase my question. Do you even know why we are here?"

Tatenashi remained silent as Squall continued.

"Stirring up trouble, as you referred to, is just a cover-up. Our goal, **MY** goal, is the capture of one your students, for he is mine by right."

"What?" Tatenashi asked in confusion.

"Think about it. Who do you think it was that found the boy in the orphanage and took him in? Who do you think it was that trained him to be the assassin for Phantom Task? And…who do you think it was that also bedded with him?"

That last question irked Tatenashi as she gritted her teeth. She now realized who she was facing and who she was referring to. In the next nanosecond though, Tatenashi found herself grappled by a large claw deployed from Squall, slowly crushing her as she tried to break free.

"The plan has already begun." said Squall. "He shall become mine, once more."


	27. Chapter 26: Clash of Titans

**CHAPTER 26**

* * *

 **OP: Linkin Park – New Divide**

(Raiden is seen at the left side of the screen in gray with his trench coat and hair being blown gently by the wind. With every beat that ends in a high-pitched note, the women in Raiden's life, starting with his mother to Chifuyu Orimura to Miriam Walker to Akane Fujimoto to Tatenashi Sarashiki to Charlotte Dunois to Houki Shinonono, appear in brief flashbacks twice with each beat before their images fade. As the music intensifies, the camera pans and moves to the left and zooms to Raiden's face at the same time before he lifts his gunblade and fires at the screen)

(The screen shatters into glass from the bullet and in a flash of white light, the title Infinite Stratos 2 appears)

 **I remembered black skies,** **The lightning all around me** (Raiden looks out from a hilltop a charred landscape covered by the scars of battle and war along with the lightning striking in the background)

 **I remembered each flash,** **As time began to blur** (The camera moves closer to Raiden as he grips his hands into fists while looking down deep in thought)

 **Like a startling sign** , **That fate had finally found me** (The personal IS pilots fly across the sky over Raiden, charging into the unknown storm in front of them)

 **And your voice was all I heard** (Houki Shinonono appears in her IS Academy outfit from behind Raiden and reaches out to him in desperation for him not to go)

 **That I get what I deserve** (Houki's image fades away from the smoke that overtakes her before Raiden turns his head to the left as he activates his IS)

 **So give me reason** (In a flash of white light from Raiden activating his IS, an IS battle between Phantom Task and the Personal IS pilots begins)

 **To prove me wrong** (Cecilia, Charlotte, and Laura all battle Autumn in their IS)

 **To wash this memory clean** (Tatenashi, Kanzashi, and Rin dodge attacks from Squall in her IS Golden Dawn)

 **Let the floods cross the distance in your eyes** (Ichika and Madoka, in her IS Black Knight, cross blades with their swords. Madoka incapacitates Ichika with a strike from her sword before she moves forward)

 **Give me reason** (Madoka and Raiden engage in sword to sword combat)

 **To fill this hole** (An apocalyptic-like battle between Madoka and Raiden takes over as they continue their fighting)

 **Connect this space between** (The two fighters back off before they unleash their true power, their auras of energy encompassing their forms)

 **Let it be enough to reach the truth that lies** (Both charge forward as a flash of light occurs)

 **Across this new divide (2x)** (A nuclear explosion goes off and Raiden, in his Akuruturuka while bleeding and his IS energy running out of control, embraces for impact of the flames coming towards him while he gives a challenging roar as the scene fades to white)

 **Across this new divide** (In the present, Raiden looks out from the rooftop of the IS Academy to the ocean with the sunrise. Raiden grips his iron tessen/IS in his left hand. He looks up to the sky at the same time as the camera pans upwards to the blue sky before a metal feather of Lion Heart flows down)

* * *

On the train that was not stopping, Yamada-sensei and Chifuyu worked to calm the students down as Kanzashi worked on hacking into the train system and figure out what is going on.

"Sarashiki, hack into the mainframe. See if there's any way you can stop the train." ordered Chifuyu.

"Yes, ma'am."

Unfortunately, Kanzashi was unable to get in as red appeared all over the screen, denying her access. It seemed Phantom Task came prepared in terms of software, especially for the train.

"I can't get in! They have control of the system!" cried Kanzashi.

Chifuyu gritted her teeth. "They really planned this one out, huh?"

Aside from the safety of her students, she was concerned of those outside, especially her two little brothers.

 **MEANWHILE…**

On top of Kyoto Tower, Squall tightened her grip around Tatenashi. The student council president struggled against its grip as the pressure increased, but she still kept her confident smirk up. Still though, she was slowly being pushed back to the edge.

"I won't let you have your way, especially with Raiden." exclaimed Tatenashi.

"You know the monorail your Academy's on right now?" asked Squall before she revealed the secret. "We planted a bomb there."

This startled Tatenashi, with the lives of everyone on board, including her little sister, now in danger.

"I'll enjoy watching as you try your hardest to prevent a tragedy. But not before I reclaim what is mine." Squall said.

Tatenashi retained her confidence. "All right. I'll get on that."

"I'm not sure you'll be able to." said Squall as she tightened her grip.

The pressure increased as Tatenashi struggled against the pain.

"Goodbye." said Squall.

But before she could deliver the blow, Tatenashi opened her eyes and exploded in a burst of light in the form of water molecules. Squall looked surprised, looking around for what had just happened. It was then that the water grappled onto her legs and arms before they exploded.

Squall was left undamaged but turned around and saw Tatenashi in the air with her IS, Mysterious Lady activated.

"Phantom Task," said a smiling Tatenashi. "I'll see you later."

Tatenashi then took off. But Squall activated her IS, Golden Dawn, and gave pursuit, knowing of where she is heading off to.

"My, my, don't be so cold!" said Squall.

With her arm cannons, she fires at Tatenashi, who constantly dodges the projectiles in the form of yellow spheres.

* * *

Back on the train, Kanzashi looks over the system as she tries to bypass the firewalls preventing her from accessing the mainframe.

' _They must have left an opening somewhere. If I can find it…'_ The girl thought to herself.

It was then that her sister's projection showed up on her screen.

"Kanzashi-chan!"

"Onee-chan!"

"There's a bomb on the monorail you guys are on! Be careful!" said Tatenashi. A time then showed up on another part of the screen, displaying the countdown. Right now, they had only 30 minutes.

"Oh no!" said a shocked Kanzashi. "There's a bomb on the train!" Kanzashi told Chifuyu and Yamada-sensei.

Chifuyu tightened her teeth and hands even more as Yamada-sensei looked shocked. Now the situation has turned from bad to disastrous.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at bottom of the Kiyomizu-dera temple, Madoka levitated above air as she stared at Raiden and Ichika. She focused solely though on Raiden as her thoughts concerned over one thing.

"So, you will protect Nee-san and your friends over the opportunity to rejoin us." asked Madoka. "That is your decision, Raiden?"

"What of it?" asked the blind lion. "They are the only family I have left. Anyone who dares to threaten my family will receive a just and swift punishment."

Madoka then asked vehemently in anger, "Do you really think those girls are capable of anything? Do you think their slender minds can pave the path open for the future?"

Madoka then said, "No! Absolutely not!"

Raiden was unmoved. He felt that Madoka was just procrastinating and giving out pointless thoughts that had nothing to do with the tense atmosphere shown between. Still, Raiden responded to her claim,

"It is true that these girls have limited knowledge of the IS, Chifuyu included. But that is why we are here: to support her and…"

"Control her as a puppet?" Madoka interrupted with Raiden stopping in slight surprise of Madoka figuring out his words, even though he had no intent behind it.

"No matter what words you use to hide it, that is exactly what you are saying." said the Black Knight pilot.

"Madoka…"

A brief silence followed before Madoka continued.

"Without someone to hold it together, the world will fall into chaos again. And Tabane will be content to just sit by and watch as we become her experiments. The only one that can end it is one with true power!"

Madoka then declared "For that purpose, I, Madoka Orimura, will kill my sister and become the new Brunhilde."

Raiden stared intently at Madoka, not flinching at her declaration unlike Ichika who obviously gritted his teeth and his body. He initially thought Madoka was bluffing but her desire for revenge burned bright in her soul, almost like a star. And Raiden could see that she wanted to do more than just have revenge but also surpass her sister.

The question is, would she able to accomplish that?

Raiden then asked,

"That is your decision, then…partner?"

Madoka did not answer and merely stared back. The air between the lion and the black moth seemed to be still as if time had stopped in its tracks. Then, sighing to herself out of her slight respect for the lion, Madoka tossed something to Raiden's feet.

Raiden's tessen/IS that he dropped after his conversation with Squall. Madoka must've picked it up and kept it when he dropped it as a result of his own confusion and depression. For what reason, he did not know but it must be personal to Madoka herself. Perhaps something to remember him by so that when the time came to meet him again, she'd return it. After all, despite having no honor whatsoever, Madoka would end a fight with Raiden not through clever tricks or assassination but through an intense one-on-one duel.

"You and I live for nothing but war. To speak, we use only our IS, our weapons."

Raiden then said "That is right. That is indeed the kind of woman you are." Raiden then picked up the tessen before he activated his IS and said,

( **Author's note** : Insert Soundtrack: _AQUAPLUS – Utawarerumono Itsuwari no Kamen Game and Anime Original Soundtrack Vol. 1 - Shizanketsuga_ ) ( **Look it up on iTunes** **or YouTube Utawarerumono Mask of Deception OST Massacre under the Youtuber Weiss** )

"And I am the same."

Raiden's IS still remained the same after his training in Aoikigahara. His IS has not been able to evolve into its 2nd Shift yet as it was still missing that component that Raiden knew not of. He only knew it in riddles and metaphors provided by his IS.

Not turning around to face him, Raiden sternly commanded, "Ichika, stay out of this."

Ichika immediately said, "Alright."

But then Ichika instantly began to regret complying. Was he willing to let his big brother fight Madoka all by himself? If only he could take back those words. Then again, it was probably wise to let Raiden take care of this. After all, at this point Madoka was in a different IS and that meant trouble, perhaps she became more powerful than last time. But who even built this IS? And moreover, where did she even get it?

The answer matters little. All he could do right now is wait and let Raiden do the work. In his mind, he had wished him luck.

 _Don't lose, Anisama._

Raiden stood for a moment, unarmed before he instantly took off from his position, speeding up to Madoka and drawing out his gunblade Overture, trying to slice at Madoka's neck. But the girl effortlessly blocked the strike with her sword before she tried to fire with her Star Breaker beams at point-blank range at Raiden.

He immediately dodged out of the way and landed back before he saw Madoka come down to him from above with her sword, ready to slice vertically. Raiden blocks her strike but the contact of blades delivered a shockwave that pushed Ichika back and destroyed the surrounding landscape.

* * *

"Time to die!" exclaimed Autumn in her IS Arachne.

Cecilia and Houki dodged the blast from Autumn and activated their IS.

"Akatsubaki!"

"Blue Tears!"

They flew up to the air before they were forced on the defensive to watch for Autumn's blaster that was firing at them in constant shots. Autumn, being the crazed psychopath as ever, kept firing as she tried to land even one hit.

"Take that! And that!"

Autumn gave pursuit to the two as she continued to fire as they continued to dodge and flee.

"Cecilia, we should head to the monorail as well!" said Houki as she flew up.

"Roger!" agreed Cecilia as she prepped her sniper. She took aim and fired as Autumn dodged one shot.

"Enough of your little tricks!" cried the Arachne pilot as she fired back.

They each rotated in a circle to dodge before Autumn materialized her big gun, took aim, and fired. The blast was strong enough to almost knock Cecilia off-balance.

"Cecilia!" cried Houki.

The blast hit the roof of a nearby Buddhist temple on the third floor, shattering some of its plating. Cecilia was able to regain her balance and flee as Houki backpedaled and rallied over to her.

"Houki-san!"

"Okay!"

Autumn gave pursuit of the two again. She barrel-rolled and accelerated towards Houki.

* * *

Tatenashi and Squall continued their fight in the air as they traveled across the skies of the city. The SCP was busy dodging Squall's attacks before she finally found an opportunity.

"I got you!" exclaimed Tatenashi.

Using her whip sword, Rusty Nail, Tatenashi flung it across to catch Squall. The Golden Dawn pilot blocked the incoming whip with her tail as she continued to fire at Tatenashi, making the Mysterious Lady on the run again. Tatenashi materialized her spear as she decided to go on the offensive. Firing from the tip of her spear at Squall, Golden Dawn deployed her shield in the form of a sphere.

Squall then got up and personal as she grappled with Tatenashi's spear.

"So naïve." said Squall. "My pet could do better than you."

Squall then fired point blank at Tatenashi, the girl in pain as she was unable to do anything. Pushing her back from their grip, Squall watched as Tatenashi fell lifelessly into the river below.

* * *

( **Author's note** : Insert Soundtrack: _AQUAPLUS – Utawarerumono Itsuwari no Kamen Game and Anime Original Soundtrack Vol. 1 - Shizanketsuga_ ) ( **Look it up on iTunes** **or YouTube Utawarerumono Mask of Deception OST Massacre under the Youtuber Weiss** )

From the smoke that soon cleared, Madoka and Raiden were facing each other, readying themselves to attack. It was then that Madoka brought out her Star Breaker cannons, ready to fire. Raiden braced himself for he had a good plan to get near Madoka.

Two beams were fired, one going off after another. Raiden deflects the first with his gunblade to his left before he dodges the second and tries to speed up Madoka. However, the Black Knight pilot launched another beam that was directed at Ichika himself. Ichika couldn't make it out in time and thought he was a goner when the beam exploded in front of him. Instead though, he saw Raiden, standing in front of him with his gunblade blocking the attack, although his right shoulder armor was blown off and a crack was made on his lion helmet, with some blood pouring down the face.

Raiden grits his teeth in pain as he should've known Madoka would use a dirty tactic like that. As such he risked his life just to protect Ichika, allowing the young boy to back away immediately.

"Too easy." said Madoka as she fired another two beams that were empowered a bit more than the last ones.

Raiden deflects the two beams with his gunblade, each of them going in opposite directions as they exploded against a different object. Raiden adjusts himself back into a ready position, facing his hated rival.

"Who would ever recognize as Brunhilde a woman who does nothing but brandish her own power?" asked Raiden. "Ask yourself once more why that power was granted unto you."

As Raiden said this, he raises his gunblade and, swinging it diagonally from right to left, unleashed a large blue beam perpendicular to his blade as it traveled fast to Madoka. The Black Knight pilot stood her ground and took the beam head on. Raiden thought he had made the hit and damaged Madoka but next came to the shock of what he had seen.

The beam did little to Madoka as she had somehow managed to deflect it easily and stay in the same spot she was standing in. She stood without a scratch barely on her. Raiden's powers must not be at its full potential just yet despite the new upgrades received at the Vault in Aokigahara.

Raiden gritted his teeth in frustration before Madoka answered his inquiry.

"A foolish question. My power exists for one purpose only: to carry out my vengeance."

Madoka later charged forward and attempted to slash at Raiden, only for him to step back with his right foot. Unfortunately, due to the injury of his foot from Squall earlier, Raiden stumbled a little and put too much pressure, distracting him. In that moment, he felt his face turn right as Madoka gave a hard punch with her right fist before swinging her sword with her left hand from left to the right, hitting Raiden and flinging him back into a wall.

Madoka then fired a beam from her Star Breaker cannons and an explosion occurred later. Once the smoke cleared, she saw Raiden surrounded by small flames, injured even more and his gunblade sticking into the ground. The crack on his lion helmet worsened and a chunk of his chest armor was in shambles. His left leg had parts that were blasted off. More blood poured down his face.

Madoka wanted to kill Raiden here and now and just end his miserable life but something held her back. Was she willing to give Raiden a chance to stand back up and fight? No. Something else drew her attention away from him. It soon became clear that her target was now on sight.

"At last…" she whispered to herself as she took off, leaving Raiden in the rubble. Ichika came over to Raiden to help him out.

"Anisama!"

Ichika tried to get the rubble off of Raiden but could only move so little. Knowing he is wasting time, Raiden urged Ichika to leave.

"Go. Get to her!"

"What? No, I—"

"Go, An-chan. Hurry, before she gets to Chifuyu!"

Ichika did not like it. He did not want to leave Raiden but the others must be occupied at the moment with Phantom Task. And Raiden implied that Chifuyu was in danger so going with his older brother's command, Ichika took off with Byakushiki and hurried over to Madoka. Raiden was left alone in the rubble, struggling to remove all the heavy debris on top of him. His IS was almost depleted of its shield energy and most of the systems were rendered inoperable. It was going to take a while for him to recover but he has to move fast to get out of the rubble.

* * *

Madoka arrived at her location but was confronted by governmental military IS in their Uchigane. They were firing spray shots at her but they did little to no effect, mostly because their aim was poor. Madoka instantly grew annoyed by their presence as she drew her sword out.

"Those little…"

Charging forward, she slices one in half as it explodes behind her.

On the train, Yamada-sensei looks to see the Black Knight in combat on the monitor.

"Orimura-sensei! An object with a very high energy reading is approaching us!"

"What?!"

"It's shooting down military IS as its headed towards the monorail!" explained Yamada-sensei.

Laura and Charlotte both came up to their teacher.

"Please give me permission to attack!" demanded Laura.

"Me too!" agreed Charlotte.

Chifuyu pondered for a quick moment before she denied their request.

"You'll stay here." She said. But both Laura and Charlotte would not budge from their demand.

"But at this rate…" Laura exclaimed.

"Silence!" ordered Chifuyu. "There's something I need you to do later!"

Laura backed down and gritted her teeth in anger. She wanted to be out there with her comrades fighting but she was just denied permission. That did not bode well for a soldier like her, who could not just sit by and watch.

Chifuyu looked at Kanzashi's monitor and saw that there were only 17 minutes left before the bomb goes off.

Madoka lays waste to another military IS Uchigane with her pointed Star Breaker cannons in the form of lances. She fires and destroys it instantly before she spins and flings it away. Turning around, she fires her cannons and annihilates another group in one fell swoop across the sky. She then charges into another, slicing it before she slices another until the last one. On her scanners, she looks to see the train with the bomb right out in the open.

"There it is." said Madoka as she took off to it.

On the train, everyone saw Madoka incoming.

"That's…" Charlotte said in fear.

"The enemy IS is coming up above the train!" yelled Yamada-sensei.

Chifuyu then ran to the window to see and beheld her little sister in her new IS.

"Black Knight?!"

Madoka saw Chifuyu in her line of sights. At long last, her revenge would be complete. She will finally annihilate her sister after planning for so long. Though her real goal was Raiden, she wanted to get this long grudge and side mission of hers out of the way first in order to not just have her revenge but bring despair unto all those who look up to Chifuyu, Raiden included.

Charging up her right Star Breaker cannon at full power, Madoka prepared to open fire. Everyone gritted their teeth or were gripped in fear as Madoka smiled gleefully before she opened fired. With her target out in the open and defenseless, there was no way they will ever survive or be rescued.

But luck was not in Madoka's favor as something blocked her attack. It revealed itself to be Ichika, in his IS Byakushiki.

"Are you guys okay?" Ichika asked over the comm. The girl's screen projections showed their smiles in gratitude as they exclaimed his name.

"So, you abandoned him to come for me?" asked Madoka.

"As if! I only have to stop you!" proclaimed Ichika as he prepared Yukihara. "You shall not pass!"

"You think you can stop me?" scoffed Madoka as she charged in to take on her twin little brother.

They crossed blades before Ichika was pushed back. He takes off with Madoka in pursuit as she open fires with her rifle cannon mounted on her left arm in small bursts.

"He could not defeat me, and neither can you!" cried Madoka.

"Chifuyu-nee, I'll try to keep her away!" said Ichika over the comm to his sister.

"Orimura, there's a time bomb on this train!" said Chifuyu. "It's set to detonate in ten minutes."

"Understood." said Ichika despite feeling a bit shocked at the sudden news. "I'll be there as soon as I take care of her."

"Ichika…" said Rin in concern.

"You guys have to hold out until then!" said Ichika.

With all eight legs, Autumn rains heavy fire down from above. The girls continue their escape but are still being tailed and fired upon by the spider.

Houki then contacts Ichika.

"Ichika, we'll join you too!"

"Houki-san!" cried Cecilia.

Houki banks to the left and dives down as Autumn continues her fire. Cecilia does the same to her right.

Houki could not help but wonder one thought to herself.

 _Raiden, where are you?!_

* * *

Ichika goes under a bridge as it explodes underneath him just as he passed it. Madoka continues her pursuit and continues to fire. Ichika is literally skimming by the river as he continues to dodge the incoming shots from behind by the Black Knight. Madoka merely laughs as she continues her fire, seeing as how the boy is fleeing like a coward rather than fighting. Raiden would never do something like that unless given a good reason.

Ichika turns around and fires with his particle cannon while also keeping track of the time of the bomb before it goes off. One shot from Madoka skims the train, shaking it a little and startling everyone.

Kanzashi furiously types on her holographic keyboard, trying to look for that damnable bomb and hack into the mainframe.

"I can do this!"

Finally, after so long, Kanzashi gains access as the firewall dissipates, chaging the color from red to teal.

"All locks have been unlocked!" cried Kanzashi. "You can send out the IS' now!"

Chifuyu then orders all Personal IS pilots in the train, "All of you, deploy your IS and work on stopping the train!"

"Roger!" said Laura as she and Charlotte took off.

Right now, there were only five minutes left until the bomb goes off.

 **MEANWHILE…**

"You aren't getting away!" cried Autumn as she halts her pursuit.

From her spider sac, she lifts it over her head and opens it up, revealing a hidden powerful cannon. Charging it up, she opens fire as Houki barely dodged it before the blast hit a mountainside.

With her two swords, Houki charges in and impales one sword in her right hand into Autumn's spider sac before driving her straight to the ground of the stairs to a shrine. She then jams the other into Autumn's leg, immobilizing her completely and leaving her in the open.

"What?!" exclaimed a shock Autumn.

"Now, Cecilia!" cried Houki as she retreated.

"I got it!"

Cecilia takes aim with her Starlight sniper rifle and fires one direct beam at Autumn. Autumn could only look in shock as an explosion overtakes her. It was not enough to kill her but at least she was incapacitated.

"Let's hurry." suggested Cecilia.

"Yeah." agreed Houki. The two took off to the Ichika and the train.

* * *

Ichika continues his battle with his twin sister as he open fires with his Particle Cannon.

"Take this!" Ichika exclaims as he fires but due to his poor aim, he was missing constantly.

Madoka made no effort to even move as she merely turned left or right and moved slowly because of his poor aim. She laughed at the aiming, seeing at how pathetic it was. Madoka then charges in and crosses blades with Ichika.

' _I couldn't protect Raiden.'_ thought Ichika. _'If I can't even protect my one and only big sister…'_

Ichika finished his thought out loud saying, "I'm not a man!"

He pushes Madoka back and tries to attack but Madoka kicks him away. They both then took off high into the skies while continuing their duel.

 **BACK ON THE TRAIN…**

"Rin and I will stop the train." Laura said to Charlotte and Rin. "That means you have to take care of the bomb, Charlotte."

"All right." said Charlotte.

"Okay." said Rin.

"Let's go!" cried Laura as the trio departed to their assigned positions and tasks.

Kanzashi was still inside, working on the location of the bomb as she squinted her eyes in concentration. She bypassed the firewall that denied her access. She can find that bomb. But time was running short.

"I'm going to find it for sure." She said to herself in determination.

"120 seconds until explosion!" said Yamada-sensei.

 **MEANWHILE…**

Madoka and Ichika continue their fight across the natural landscape high above the skies. Ichika was trying to concentrate but the timer was distracting him somewhat. He wished for Raiden to be here but with him incapacitated and ordering Ichika to leave him to take care of Madoka, that was not possible.

"We're running out of time!" Ichika said to himself. "Raiden, I hope you pulled yourself out of that rubble."

 **BACK ON THE TRAIN…**

Rin and Laura went up to the front of the train and, using all the strength they had, they anchored themselves on the tracks and pushed on the train, trying to stop its ongoing movement. But they barely slowed it down even with all their might. Still, they continued to push, hoping to buy the others time to get off once it stops before the bomb goes off.

"Bear with it, Shenlong!" yelled Rin.

Right now, there was only one minute remaining before the bomb went off.

 **MEANWHILE…**

Madoka and Ichika continue their fight as Madoka flees into the forest with Ichika in pursuit. It took them up to the mountaintop before they emerged from the peak as Ichika charged in with Yukihara.

Cecilia and Houki continued to rally to Ichika's location.

Thirty seconds were left before the bomb went off as Kanzashi was looking for the bomb desperately.

"Found it! This is it!" She said as she then contacted Charlotte over the comm.

Charlotte flew alongside the train until she heard Kanzashi's voice.

"Foreign object detected! I'll send you the information!"

"Roger!" Charlotte acknowledged as she pulled back. And flew over to the top side of the train. She saw the bomb underneath as she ripped off the cover. Charlotte grabbed the bomb and was ready to throw it.

"Laura!" yelled Charlotte.

The countdown reached to zero with milliseconds remaining and then suddenly...

[ **BOOM** ]

The explosion occurred as Ichika looked back in horror, seeing that the girls did not make it in time to save the train. He feared the worst for his sister's life.

"No way…"

Madoka had smirked with satisfaction. The last bird was ready to be killed by the stone as it left itself open to attack.

"Die."

Madoka fires her beams at the unsuspecting Ichika, who had turned just in time to see the beams come to him.

But suddenly…

A sound of flesh and metal is heard. Ichika had closed his eyes, thinking that he had been hit. However, as he opened his eyes, he could see that there was blood everywhere. It covered parts of his IS Byakushiki. Yet strangely enough, he didn't feel any blood wounds on his body. He didn't feel any pain or loss of consciousness. Rather, he could only feel something wrapped around him tightly in a bear hug. He could also hear the faint sound of breathing close to his ear, one that held nothing but pain and suffering.

Ichika looked and saw, to his horror, an image that had left him void of emotion and thought. He saw Raiden covered in blood...his own blood.

To Ichika's realization, Raiden took the fatal hit from Madoka, acting as a shield. Much of his IS had been shattered apart from the blast due to his earlier battle with Madoka and his lion helmet was now broken in two. The wound he had received was so deadly that Raiden had not much time left given of the amount of blood splattered all over from the effect of the blast.

"A…Ani…sama?" asked a stuttering Ichika, still in great shock.

So many things ran through Ichika's mind yet it also felt as if time itself stopped in its tracks. To see his own friend, one whom he called his big brother, take a fatal hit from behind to protect him was a thought that would have never crossed his mind. His face turned pale, as if the life color had been drained from him.

The sounds of gurgling blood as he threw up attributed to the pain that Raiden felt as he struggled to stay upright. Blood splattered from his mouth as he spewed through his teeth and his mortal injury was dripping blood fast like a faucet leaking water. He knew that the wound was mortal and that he had little time to live. His IS was demolished as parts of it were still attached onto his body, the remaining components burned and scorched as little sparks flew from it.

Feeling the last slivers of life slip away from him, Raiden held his right bloody claw to Ichika's frozen face, gripping and holding the left side of his cheek. He then looked to Ichika face-to-face with a peaceful smile, his forehead touching his in an affectionate brotherly manner.

"Keep fighting…little brother."

With that, Raiden spoke no more and gave out his final breath. The energy levels of his IS reached zero, shield and power. His heartbeat was flatlined and his body went limp. His claw slipped from Ichika's face, with the blood remaining onto it, as his whole body then fell off, with his blood trailing behind him. Like a winged bird falling from the sky, Raiden's body fell back onto the earth.

Witnessing the entire thing unfold before them were Cecilia and Houki, the latter extremely shocked. What had happened in front of her could not be true. Not again. While Raiden had indeed taken many mortal wounds, none were so devastating than this one as she heard him draw his final breath.

She then saw her dead beloved fall back to Earth and chased after him.

"RAIDEN!"

* * *

When the smoke to the train cleared away, the AIC field was over the area of the explosion. It turns out that Laura had just barely managed to deploy it in time before the bomb went off one millisecond later as the train was spared from disaster.

Laura deactivated the field as the shrapnel fell to the ground lifelessly. Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief as Rin looked happy that they avoided an imminent disaster.

"We barely made it." said Rin.

"Thank goodness." Kanzashi agreed.

"Yeah." Laura nodded.

Inside the train, the monitor showed Lion Heart's status in big red letters of LOST. Raiden's life signs were flatlined as it gave that eerie long sound. Yamada-sensei looked on in shock.

"Oh no! Hataru-sama has…"

Chifuyu looked over as horror soon stretched across her face to see her surrogate little brother go offline, permanently this time.

Madoka could only look in both surprise and satisfaction. She didn't think she would see the day where she finally killed Raiden. Her revenge on him was now complete as she chuckled to herself in pride.

She was about to take off before she was stopped by Cecilia pointing her sniper.

"Stop right there!" The British girl exclaimed as she kept her barred from her intended path.

Madoka was facing the barrel end of Blue Tears as Cecilia kept her aim sharp. Though she hid it in herself, Cecilia was angry. Angry that the Black Knight pilot had killed the one person she called big brother right in front of her eyes.

"Step aside. Unless you can defeat me, Cecilia Alcott, you shall not pass!" proclaimed Cecilia.

Madoka smirked in pride and charged forward. Cecilia backed off and fired, then she sent in her BITS but they were evaded easily. Madoka then got up close to Cecilia and grappled her head with her hand. She then flung her over to a rock. Once the dust cleared, she was unconscious.

Madoka descended down and prepared to fire her Star Breaker beam with her left cannon.

"So much for the Academy's best."

Madoka fired a beam but it was blocked by Charlotte just in time with her energy shield.

"Don't forget about us!" cried Charlotte.

Madoka then found herself surrounded on all sides as Laura charged forth with her right saber. Madoka blocks the incoming attack with her sword as Laura flips backwards.

"You."

Madoka heard a voice and then turned her eyes around to Ichika, who held his head down and gripped his sword tightly yet shakenly. His eyes were covered by the shadows of his hair as anger possessed him unlike any other, along did hatred. Hatred for Madoka, that so-called sister of his. For her to kill his big brother figure so callously, even if the blind boy sacrificed himself, made Ichika tremble with rage. Raiden's blood still decorated his IS and his face.

"Raiden…Raiden was…"

Ichika then lifted his head and cried out in a loud voice, with tears falling from his eyes.

"RAIDEN WAS MY BROTHER!"

After that, a bright light shined from Ichika as his IS begun to change. It glowed bright white before it revealed Ichika in Byakushiki's 2nd Shift. With Yukihara Nagita at his side, Ichika charged into Madoka with righteous fury, clashing sword blades with her.

* * *

In the bamboo forest, safe from danger for the time being, were Houki and a dead Raiden. She was in complete denial to see her loved one's body before her, mortally wounded. Her scans showed that Lion Heart was offline and its pilot was flatlined, in terms of heart beat and brain wave activity. But Houki did not want to believe it.

A million things ran through her mind and her emotions went haywire. Tears fell freely from her eyes as she tried to call out,

"Raiden, wake up. Wake up, please! Raiden!"

Raiden however would not move. His body was covered in his blood and too much had been poured out that pooled around his cold form. It continued to pour out slowly, even as Houki was in the midst of it. She continued to call out Raiden's name in the small glimmer of hope that he was still alive despite the readings of her IS and the immense blood loss flowing out from the body.

Houki's body was already covered in it but she didn't care. She wanted her beloved lion back.

She wanted to feel those strong arms that once held her, that warmth he gave off when he held her, that protection he had for her.

She wanted to hear his voice again, that low and gentle voice of wisdom.

She wanted to see his smile every time they looked at each other.

Her desperation was met with her activating her One-Off Ability, in the hope that it would help reactivate his IS with energy. But there was nothing. She denied it in her heart though that perhaps there was a small sliver of heartbeat or even a charged IS on one point.

The blood would not stop flowing out though. And Houki's One-Off Ability was making no difference whatsoever as it had run out of its energy. The tears from her eyes would not stop raining down onto the lifeless body that had now grown cold and pale.

In a final act of the feelings lingering within her heart, she leaned down close to Raiden's face and gave her final kiss. She could feel the cold blood decorate her lips, acknowledging that her warmth was beyond saving her beloved, dead and broken before her. Devoured by despair and sorrow, she leaned her head over Raiden's chest, no longer hearing a heartbeat and whispered three final words unto the lifeless husk of her beloved.

"I love you…"

After laying in sorrow for one moment, she departed the dead body of her lion as it laid there in its ever-growing pool of blood. She looked back one final time before she took off. By the time she exited the forest, she could not see him any more among the thick bamboo trees.

* * *

It was dark. It was orderly yet it was also chaotic. In another realm of sorts, spiritual if anything, Raiden was lying flat down on his back, He looked to see that the sky was dark, like it was the aftermath of the apocalypse. Dressed in his school outfit, Raiden stood up and looked to see that there was nothing around him. He could stand on flat ground but there was no flat ground to see.

"Where…am I?"

It was silent and there were no other voices other than his.

Suddenly, Raiden felt incredible pain pass through his shoulder as a kunai attached by a chain went straight through his left shoulder and landed on his right side. Raiden immediately screamed in pain and fell onto one knee as he then felt another kunai attached via chain go through his right shoulder and landed on his left side.

Pain like no other coursed through his body as he felt the chains through his flesh. Next thing he felt were more chains wrapping around his arms and bringing them up high. He felt his collarbones break as his arms were lifted high and blood poured down from his wounds in one long continuous stream.

Raiden screamed before he tried to adapt to the pain. But the wounds aside, his mind was what hurt the most as he felt like it was being crushed. He could not even fight back despite how much effort he was putting in. He then heard a dark voice speak to him.

"Why do you resist?"

Raiden looked up and saw a dark figure that looked just like him. Purple eyes glowed as the figure manifested and walked towards the incapacitated Raiden in pain. His clothing was pure black but his eye color behind the blindfold was fiery purple and his teeth jagged and sharp like a razor blade.

"Why do you hide away from your fears? Of your past? Give in to it and embrace that power!"

"Never!" denied Raiden, prompting the dark Raiden to sprout another chain but this time, strike him underneath and through his chest. The darker self constantly circled around him as it walked.

"You know that the only way to save your friends is to give into that which you were gifted. You know it is the only way."

"No…I won't go into that abyss ever again." retorted Raiden as he was starting to profusely sweat from the pain.

"Then how else can you save them? They are fighting for their lives. Your beloved is in despair. How can you save them now…or perhaps, you wanted death to come to you?"

"No…" said Raiden.

"Think about it." The darker self said. "You've survived worse than that pathetic blow to your back from her. And yet, here you are so close to death ready to meet your end. Are you truly that desperate to sacrifice yourself and be left for dead at the cost of everyone's emotions? What do you think they will think of you when you are gone?"

Raiden remains silent yet the chains continue to tear out his flesh as they dig deeper into his flesh. More blood drips from his body and even with such powerful strength and will to stay alive, it was not going to last long.

"How much longer can you keep this up? Your friends are dying out there and all of Kyoto is in danger. Will you really let your rival claim her vengeance? Claim her victory after all this time?"

Raiden remained silent but his consciousness was slowly fading away. He could barely make of the image in front of him as it became a blur and his lights were getting turned off.

"Will you be able to defeat her when the time comes? Maybe she will come back and ensure that you are dead permanently…Or is that what you want?"

The darker self then procured the events of what was happening out there on the battlefield. Ichika was busy fighting Madoka, the gang was fighting Squall before they were incapacitated by her sphere, and the last image, to Raiden's horror, was Houki crying on his dead physical body before she gets up and leaves to join her friends in sorrow.

Raiden tried to deny it all, thinking they were illusions, but he knew that it wasn't an illusion. His heart began to ache as did his mind that were now filled with conflict.

"Just give in to that power of yours. It is the only way for you to survive." The darker self taunted once more.

Stubbornly, Raiden says,

"Never!"

Fed up with all this resistance, the darker self procured a blade and stabbed through Raiden's chest, impaling him in anger as Raiden felt the last slivers of his life draining away.

This was it. The end has come for him. All that he knew and fought for was now in vain. He then spoke his final words,

"Everyone…forgive me…"

The last tiny thread of life remained, ready to be cut.

"Enough!" cried a feminine voice as a bright light covered the dark area. The darker self turned to see the light before it was banished, screaming in defiance of its defeat.

Raiden looked up to see a figure of white light. It then showed that same white feminine figure in the short sleeved white kimono with a hood, the same one who, alongside the dark lion, trained him in the forests of Aokigahara. It approached Raiden and with a wave of its hand, dissipated the chains holding Raiden along with the sword through his chest. The blind lion fell forwards before he was caught by the figure, his head resting on her lap. Raiden could not make of the face as the woman used her touch to heal the wounds all over the blind lion.

Raiden then said,

"It…is over…I cannot fight it…alone. Cannot do it…alone."

The womanly figure then said,

"You are not alone…my son."

The woman then unfolded her hood covering her head to which her real face was shown. She was woman well known for her beauty. She had a slender, but feminine build, fair skin, violet eyes, and silver hair just like Raiden's that was in the same nape that it was when she first met him in Aokigahara, along with the same swan hair ornament.

Raiden recognized the figure's face but he was not so sure. He reached out with his right hand and called out one name.

"Mother…?"

Raiden's mother, Azumi Hataru, held a gentle smile on her face and brought her son's forehead to hers in affection. With a tear of joy from her left eye, she said,

"I am so proud, at long last, to see you again, my son."

Raiden was shocked. This was definitely his mother for her touch and grace he remembered as a child that he locked away came back to him along with a flurry of emotions. He had so many questions to ask but he kept it down to one.

"Mother, how are you here?"

Azumi explained, "Before my death at the hands of Phantom Task, I left an imprint of my will on the IS core that your father created and that I tested so that when the time comes, when death certainly claims you, I would emerge to guide you."

Raiden was god smacked. It all made sense now. The recordings and journal entries in the forests of Aokigahara finally came into circle. With such joy, he leapt upwards and hugged his mother, the very woman who gave birth to him with tears pouring forth from his eyes. Azumi hugged back, able to touch her son again after all this time despite being an imprint of her will.

"I thought…I thought I lost you...mother." said Raiden as he let go of the hug but kept his arms connected with Azumi's. "The last thing I saw was your body and the burning remains of our home."

"I was always with you, from the very beginning. Here." Azumi pointed to Raiden's heart, which glowed a bit bright mainly to heal his wound. Azumi continued her talk.

"It is in this place where I will stand with you in the final battle."

Raiden had doubt linger in his mind. He had already died and this time it was permanent. Usually, his One-Off Ability would activate and make him go crazy but it didn't this time. Perhaps this was the final component of his IS that was needed to complete his training. Fear began to spread across Raiden's face, catching his mother's attention.

"But…I was not there for you. I failed you in the end."

"Nonsense." Azumi said as she cupped her son's cheek. Her gentle eyes met Raiden's scarred ones and she could see the eye expression on his face despite his blindfold. "The victories of your enemy are not your failures. Struggle against your own darkness is arduous, but none have fought more bravely than you, my son."

Both of them stood up as Azumi continued her conversation.

"You have won many victories, rekindled hope in the hearts of those you have protected, and ultimately, found love with those you care most for."

Azumi then showed images of everyone. They all ranged from the Lion Kings from the US Marine Corps, the agents of the CIA, and the students of the IS Academy.

"Each of them sends their blessing. Each blessing becoming a stone to fortify the land that is your heart."

As the image of Raiden's heart is shown full of darkness, it is soon replaced with light from the ground up.

"Your heart is strong, my son. Your allies are many."

The next images show Akane with a cigarette in her mouth while holding a M14 rifle on her shoulders, Miriam with her hands on her hips, Chifuyu Orimura with her eyes closed, and the gang together. All of them were bearing a smile towards Raiden.

Azumi then placed her hand on Raiden's heart.

"Wield what lies within and claim your destiny. Break the siege of darkness."

A formation of stairs is shown and at the top lies something blue and bright, too hard for Raiden to make of it. He was hesitant to go as he asked one final question.

"Mother, that power…must I wield it to save lives?"

Azumi answered, "It is not power that will save everyone, but what you choose to do with it that does. Only you can decide what you were meant to do and accept who you are."

Raiden took in her words of wisdom and proceeded to walk up the steps. There were so many of them, maybe at least thirty to fifty steps. But Raiden did not feel tired for he reached the wooden gates with ease and opened them. Inside those gates looked like a Shinto shrine as a Tori gate stood above it along with the architecture itself. Next to the shrine were two stone lion statues whose eyes glowed in Raiden's presence.

Azumi appeared at Raiden's left side, watching her son open the small doors of the shrine, usually containing a kami in the form of a relic, open up before him. A bright blue and white light then overtook him and the surrounding area.

Raiden then softly yet commandingly spoke,

"Akuruka. Become the door, and open the path to the primal origin…"

* * *

Ichika and Madoka were blade-locked and to Madoka's surprise, she was getting pushed back. But this should not be possible. The death of a so-called brother should not have given the boy power to overcome her. To her, he was nothing but cannon fodder, a boy who didn't understand anything and who had poor combat skills. Now she should just lose to this one who had gained power just because he saw Raiden dead? Is this her destiny to meet her defeat, possibly her death, at the hands of Ichika Orimura?

No, it shouldn't be. She hadn't worked hard and sacrificed everything for this moment in time only to fall at the hands of an idiotic brother. He was a weakling, and his power was nothing compared to hers or even that of Raiden's. Their battles together proved that.

Ichika used his particle cannon on his left hand to do a final strike on Madoka, to which he managed to crack her chest armor. From the debris that followed, the pendant with Chifuyu's picture flew out of her hand. Madoka reached to grab it, desperate not to lose it. Once in her hand, she decided that it was time.

"Enough of this!" Madoka cried as she unraveled something from her right arm.

In a flash of white light, a long-barreled fusion cannon appeared as she pointed it in direct contact to Ichika. It was an arm-mounted cannon capable of firing powerful gamma-irradiated plasma rounds and came with a hidden sword blade underneath that Madoka deployed to impale Ichika. The cannon was attached via a slinky-like chord connected to the IS and had sharp teeth decorated inside the barrel of the cannon. ( **Author's note** : The fusion cannon is the same one designed for Megatron in _The Last Knight_ )

After impaling Ichika with her blade, Madoka began firing one round into the Byakushiki pilot's abdomen before setting off another to the point where Madoka was able to break off from a wounded Ichika. Retracting her blade, she then fired three more direct hits at Ichika, which sent him plummeting to the ground and fast.

Everyone else, including Houki and a recovered Tatenashi, tried to surround Madoka and attack with their range weapons but Squall suddenly showed up protecting Madoka with an energy sphere from her IS Golden Dawn. Everyone charged in but Squall merely expanded the sphere and everyone was hit, flung across Kyoto scattered all around.

"And now…" Madoka said as she looked over to the train.

Rallying over to its location, Madoka aimed both her fusion cannon and her Star Breaker beams at the train with its passengers still inside.

Everyone could only look in dread as Chifuyu saw her little sister preparing the death blow as the Brunhilde gritted her teeth.

Madoka was giving a sadistic smile as she charged her fusion cannon and Star Breaker beams to full power. With the Personal IS pilots out of the way, including her old adversary, nothing stood in her way.

She then whispered, "Farewell, Nee-san."

Firing her fusion cannon and Star Breaker beams, they collided with the train and a mighty explosion was set off.

The personal IS pilots, Ichika included, looked to see in time to see smoke and dust coming from the train, completely horrifying them, as they believed everyone inside to be dead. Ichika was beyond shock as he thought his sister, who had protected him all his life and whom he wanted to protect in return, was now dead. He wanted to go after Madoka but his IS was damaged by the fusion cannon, low on shields and energy even though it had enough to activate Yukhara Nigata's energy blade.

Strangely enough, when the smoke cleared enough to see, the train was still standing undamaged, much to Madoka's complete confusion. Not even a dent or charred mark laid on the white train.

She was sure she made the hit as her target was right in front of her and out in the open, completely defenseless. The train was just an ordinary one, no shields and no defensive turrets. Just a normal train used by everyday people to travel from one place to another. So why was it still standing?

It was then that she heard a voice from her communicator. It was masculine and familiar as a shock spread her face.

"To carry out your vengeance?"

Madoka was even more confused, perhaps shocked. Raiden was dead. She was sure of it as he took a direct hit meant for Ichika. So how could he still be alive after taking that fatal blow? She couldn't see Raiden's face on her screen due to not receiving any video feedback oddly enough.

"If that is what you say what this is…"

( **Author's note** : Insert Soundtrack: _AQUAPLUS – Utawarerumono Itsuwari no Kamen Game and Anime Original Soundtrack Vol. 2 - Akuruturuka_ ) ( **Look it up on iTunes or YouTube Utawarerumono Mask of Deception OST - Akuruturuka under the Youtuber Weiss** )

"Then I deny you, body and soul!"

Madoka could not make of the smoke from the train. She could only make of the blurred figure within yet not see it fully with her own two eyes. It was then that swaths of blue energy in the form of small blue spheres converged on the location, increasing their speed and number before a bright blue pillar of light emerged from the spot along with a violent implosion and the blurred figure was engulfed in it. The whole area shook as everyone tried to stand their ground. Debris fell as the ground and walls cracked. Trees shook with bright intensity as strong winds began to gather.

From that pillar of light emerged an imposing figure.

The dust cloud soon settled mostly, as did the shaking, and what came from the smoke and pillar of light was a loud noise. It took a short while to see but the figure emerged slowly from the pillar of light as its blue eyes glowed and illuminated from the smoke. Its tail could be seen swishing back and forth somewhat behind it as were the spikes that had glowed blue. It slowly stood up on its two hind legs as it growled.

Then, with a flap of its wings unfolding itself, the dust cloud was pushed aside and emerged the defender of the train.

A white IS in the form of a winged lion appeared. It looked very similar to Raiden's darker form as before back in his first year when he activated it unwillingly for the first time. But this one was white all over, its spikes on its head were blue and glowed with electricity. The wings had the same metallic feathers and demonic exoskeleton as was the tail with the sharp metal bat-wing like weapon on the end, which landed with a thud every time it dropped to the ground, creating a small yet audible thunder every time. The eyes glowed blue with a gentle glow instead of the usual purple fiery mascara. Its glow was bright enough that even people from far away, maybe a mile or two, could see it. The size of the IS was the same as last time, tall and terrifying than the tallest and strongest of all IS.

All eyes watched in awe as everyone looked to see Raiden in this new form. Confusion set upon them as they thought that this looked like the same form that Raiden used before but in different colors. Yet its tone was gentler, more focused, more at peace, more in control of itself. Instead of the violent and thrashing animal that hungered for blood, this one sought to defend its pride that had been threatened by its predator. Like a true lion king.

From far away, the gang saw the pillar of light, and Raiden.

"Is that…Raiden?" asked Rin.

"I…think so." said Charlotte.

"But that light…" asked Cecilia. "What is that?"

Laura answered Cecilia's question. "I think we have seen that light before."

Tatenashi was briefly silent, almost as if the blood drained from her face when she saw it, before she said, "Akuruturuka…or as we know it, Feral Mode. The One-Off Ability of Lion Heart."

"No…" exclaimed Kanzashi, holding her hands to her mouth in fear of seeing Raiden in that form.

Everyone else also looked in fear, seeing as how Lion Heart activated that same awesomely terrifying power once again.

The white winged lion merely stared at Madoka who could only grit her teeth, seeing that the prey that she had killed was still alive. She had hope in her heart that she finally found the satisfaction of killing the one person who had humiliated her countless times in the past. So, to see him alive delivered both shock and intense hatred to her body. Not only that, but she was unable to kill Chifuyu, a fact made clear that only anger cursed throughout her body. She grips her sword hard and grits her teeth, annoyed by the fact that her prey had lived and managed to save the train, preventing her from reaching her goal once again.

Squall looked up from above and saw her pet in a new form she had never seen. The majestic beauty and fury emanating from Raiden kept her eyes locked onto it, something that Squall found beautiful. Such primal power laid before her as she began to believe that Project Akuruka finally paid off in more ways than one, especially seeing this new form of her pet.

One thing was clear though: a lot has changed in the past six years for Raiden. But that change only brought a small smile to her lips, almost as if she approved. She only thought of one word in her mind.

 _Raiden..._

The large lion figure merely looked at Madoka with an intense glare before its loud roar was heard, which shook the area.

( **Author's note** : Insert Soundtrack: _AQUAPLUS – Utawarerumono Itsuwari no Kamen Game and Anime Original Soundtrack Vol. 2 - Vurai_ ) ( **Look it up on iTunes** **or YouTube Utawarerumono Mask of Deception OST - Vurai under the Youtuber Weiss** )

After the roar, he locked his eyes onto his prey that was above him, right out in the open. He then takes off from the train tracks, destroying it and shaking the train along with the people inside of it.

Raiden charges into her, clashing weapons with her blade and his claws. The result of the clash delivered a shockwave to everyone and Madoka being flung backwards by the force and into a building. She eventually recovered before she was ambushed from the side as Raiden grabbed her head and slammed her into one of the building walls, going through it as the building itself collapsed and two of them were lost in the dust cloud that soon followed from its collapse before they emerged out from the cloud and engaged in a vicious duel between claw and sword.

Madoka engages in full close-combat with the lion before he manages to back off and shield his face with his hands from a powerful beam fired by Madoka that engulfed him and pushed him back steadily as she increases the power.

Madoka intensifies the beam with a wider width before Raiden un-shields his face and deploys his lascannons from his shoulders, which the beams were white in color. The beams collided with Madoka's and pushed it back to the center before a massive explosion of energy was set off.

Everyone took to cover from that giant ball of energy that soon dissipated. This fight was getting all too intense and so violent that they couldn't help but be in awe of the chaotic energies being produced from the fight. Energy readings were literally read off the charts per Raiden's IS data and debris from the surrounding area flew in all directions ranging.

From the large clouds of dust, Madoka and Raiden stood at a half of football field's length from each other.

"Your IS cannot possibly be a match for mine. I cannot lose to you ever again." Madoka exclaimed before she yelled, "My power must not be tainted!"

Madoka then fires her beams upwards before those same beams came down from above, to which the winged lion sees and stands his ground against it by folding his wings and arms inward to protect himself.

"I have sacrificed everything for this moment, which is why I will eliminate anyone who gets in my way by any means necessary!"

Raiden, focusing on protecting himself against the beam that had engulfed him, said in response to Madoka's claim,

"Madoka, your pride, your resolve…They were always your strengths. But they are also your weakness, which is why you will fall!"

With a loud roar of a lion, Raiden unfolds his wings as a massive blue sphere of energy with electricity being struck throughout is unleashed and overwhelms the surrounding areas, destroying everything in its path and dissipating the beam while knocking Madoka out of the sky and back into a building, leaving electrical burns over her IS. The sphere dispels shortly afterwards and Raiden is left with his somewhat charred IS steaming from Madoka's beam and the electricity.

* * *

"Raiden…" said Houki as she watched her beloved fight. She just saw him dead only a moment ago. There was no heartbeat, no breathing, and too much blood loss occurred from his injury.

But now here he was in all of his glory and wonder. In a form that looked majestically beautiful yet terrifyingly powerful. She wondered if that really was Raiden or just some imitation or illusion of her view.

"Houki!" said Ichika as Houki turned her head to him. "We need to get to Chifuyu-nee and the others and evacuate them from here."

Houki was left somewhat shocked and in disbelief and protested "How can you say something like that? Raiden is out there fighting for his life!"

"That's why we have to go." Ichika said before another clashing sound was heard between the two fighters along with the shockwave that followed. "There's nothing we can do for him at this point. It is also why we have to get away from here and get to Chifuyu-nee and everyone else. Am I wrong?"

To Houki, Ichika wasn't wrong. Indeed, the place was soon going to be turned into one giant barren wasteland due to the chaotic energies being produced from the fighting. If she stayed any longer, she may get caught in the blasts.

But still, to leave her one love behind fighting alone is the very last thing on her mind. She saw him die once and she was unable to bear it. She could not want to see Raiden die a second time. She gripped her hands into fists and her teeth in defiance.

"But...But...I can't just leave him!" Tears began to form from Houki's eyes before she looked down in pain. "Raiden was barely breathing when he took the hit for you and I was heartbroken to see him dead."

"Houki..."

Ichika could see the determination and pain in his childhood friend's eyes. Indeed, both her and Raiden have been very close to each other and for her to leave him behind is something she just could not handle, something Ichika can relate to.

Giving up on convincing her, Ichika said with a smile, "Alright. Geez, you know both you and Raiden can sometimes be stubborn when you're set on something."

"Ichika..." whispered Houki as her childhood friend looked onto the battle, although she felt slightly insulted by that compliment.

' _Did you hear that, Anisama?'_ Ichika thought to himself. ' _Don't make Houki cry all alone anymore.'_

* * *

One explosion sends both Raiden and Madoka crashing into a wall of a building together before they each roll off of each other. With her energy sword in her right hand, Madoka hits Raiden and hits him again with her fusion cannon at point blank, pushing him back. She charges in but Raiden deflects Madoka's sword and grapples onto Madoka's fusion cannon. He twists it and her arm just enough to point it directly at her face while it remained functional. He then fires one direct round right on Madoka's right side of her face, burning her helmet and almost completely obliterating it, along with scarring her flesh that now burned from the intense heat. She turns around to attack with her sword but her weapon is caught and broken in two by Raiden's claws. Both combatants each take spin as Raiden prepares his lascannons and at point blank, fires at Madoka which sends her crashing through a wall of a building before tumbling onto the roof of another.

Madoka sits up in pain but also in anger. This could not be happening for her. She should not be this weak against her rival. Now it was time she started to get very serious.

Madoka comes forward to Raiden as he emerges from the hole in the building. Having had enough, Madoka charges and deflects his oncoming claw strike with her broken sword before delivering a point-blank shot to his face with her left arm cannon, stunning him very briefly. Madoka then tries to horizontally from right to left swipe off Raiden's head with her sword to which he ducks not before he is delivered an uppercut strike from Madoka's right fist as she spins around in a circle, sending him back and making him crash near the train. From the train, everyone, Chifuyu included, saw just in time Raiden crash near them, on his back and in pain from the hit he took.

With this chance, Madoka fires her Star Breaker beam cannons at Raiden which he manages to dodge by jumping very high upwards as the beams collided with the train tracks, destroying it in the process and shaking the train a little bit, startling everyone.

Madoka fires a couple more, making Raiden dodge one through a barrel roll and another by zooming past it until he unleashes his Velvet Nightmares that are retracted from his arms into ion blasters, which release two large blue beams before they each break off into tiny multiple beams coming at Madoka from all sides. Madoka dodges a great many that follow her while a few struck at her, draining some of her shields to her annoyance.

After getting out of the way, she looks around and tries to scan for Raiden but is nowhere to be seen. That is until the white winged lion appears from behind and grapples Madoka using his arms. Madoka is surprised and tries to break free but the lion's grip was too strong. A little hint of fear took over her but as did anger and frustration at the lion's strength.

Charging up electricity through his spikes on his head to which the lightning from the storm came into direct contact with, Raiden then proceeds to take Madoka to a nearby electrical power station and, after going through a couple of electrical wires, crashes into one of the generators, setting off a series of explosions before a huge one takes over thanks to a lightning bolt from the sky, engulfing the two in flame and lightning that leaves severe electrical burns on them. The explosion looked like a volcano had erupted as fiery meteors emerged from the gigantic cloud of smoke as did lightning.

Everyone looked on in fear and dread. No ordinary person could've survived that kind of explosion. But if there was one thing that they haven't learned yet, it is that Raiden is far from ordinary.

"Anisama..." whispered Ichika, looking at the horror of the explosion.

"Raiden!" said Houki as tears from each of her two eyes pour down, looking to see how her loved one was still standing but severely burned and injured.

From the smoke and fire, they could visibly yet obscurely see that Raiden who had surprisingly survived, standing up. Unfortunately, he looked exhausted and beaten down, maybe even severely injured. His left arm had a damaged electrical cable wrapped around it from top to bottom as its ends sparked out dangerous voltage. His IS looked a bit destroyed as parts of it were missing, mainly the right shoulder, left leg, and a few spikes on the head. The wings looked a bit tattered, almost shredded of it structure and feathers.

Ichika grappled his sword tightly in desperation, knowing that there was nothing he could do. He wanted to be there, to make Madoka have payback for what she did to Raiden by his hand alone. But to interfere directly would only get him in the way of things, a risk he shouldn't take despite sitting around and doing nothing to his irritation. Once the smoke had cleared, it seemed as if it was over.

( **Author's note** : Insert Soundtrack: _AQUAPLUS – Utawarerumono Itsuwari no Kamen Game and Anime Original Soundtrack Vol. 2 - Futatsuboshi_ ) ( **Look it up on iTunes** **or YouTube Utawarerumono Mask of Deception OST Futatsu Boshi -Twin Stars- (Vocal)** **under the Youtuber Weiss** )

"C'mon, Houki." said Ichika as she looked over to him. "Let's get to him and see to his wounds."

"Wait!" cried someone on the comm who just happened to be Chifuyu.

"Chifuyu-nee?" asked Ichika as he stopped.

"The entire area is highly volatile with electricity and other noxious gases susceptible to igniting. Go in now, and you'll be vaporized instantly."

"Then what can we do?" asked Houki in desperation, seeing Raiden standing there in pain still in his lion form.

"All we can do is wait for the voltage to die down and proceed carefully. Then, we can—"

"Orimura-sensei!" cried Yamada-sensei on the comm. "It's Hataru-sama. He's absorbing the electricity!"

"What?" cried out Ichika as he turned to look back.

Raiden was on his knees and hands down onto the ground, grappling on the dirt. Heavy breathing was heard as the lion struggled to stand up on all four given the amount of injuries sustained from the explosion and the fight.

Then, the spikes on his head glowed blue as did the electricity on the ground which soon rushed towards him and up through his arms to the spikes on his head. The air and the ground from that area seemed to quake as the electrical voltage traveled immensely fast and upwards. Raiden's spikes, glowing bright blue from the electricity, emanated a blue ring that traveled outwards from his position that pulsed every few seconds.

Eventually, all of the electricity was received into Raiden before a bright light intensified from a gigantic, white and blue seal had emerged from the ground underneath Raiden's feet. The seal looked Japanese-like, almost like an ancient mantra.

Raiden roared one last time, the shockwave of the roar spreading out and dispelling the noxious fumes and gases in the air, along with shattering any nearby windows and other glass. The noise was heard so loud that some people had to cover their ears. A huge column of white blue light emerged, with hints of electricity sparking through. It eventually became smaller and smaller before the light died down, revealing only Raiden, still in his lion form.

"The voltage is dying down. Let's get over there." suggested Ichika.

"Yes." said Houki as she joined Ichika and raced towards the barren area.

Madoka and her IS were nowhere to be found. It could be anyone's guess as to what had happened to her. The entire power station was now nothing more than scrap metal and a barren wasteland. A large yet shallow crater decorated the center of it, likely where the center of the blast was and the lion was on the other side of it on its ledge.

Raiden's IS was deactivated, which had glowed blue and white, encompassing his form before it dissipated into blue flames with a speck of electricity, dropping him to the ground and onto his knees in exhaustion. It looked as if the battle was now over but Raiden was badly injured, with blood pouring from his head and dripping down to the ground. His IS suit was shredded and covered only half of his upper body while the lower half remained intact somewhat. His left arm was severely burned and charred purple from the electricity of the now destroyed power station, barely able to be properly lifted given the amount of damage.

"Anisama!" said Ichika as he came over to his brother.

"Raiden!" cried Houki as she rallied over to him.

The two of them made a run to Raiden right after they had deactivated their IS'. Houki had found Raiden's tessen nearby and picked it up to take with her. The duo proceeded to get to Raiden as the distance between them and him was about the size of an average football field.

But then suddenly…

[ **THUMP** ]

Ichika gasped at what he saw in front of him.

( **Author's note** : Insert Soundtrack: _AQUAPLUS – Utawarerumono Itsuwari no Kamen Game and Anime Original Soundtrack Vol. 2 – Hadou Wo Yukumono_ ) ( **Look it up on iTunes** **or YouTube Utawarerumono Mask of Deception OST - He who Conquers under the Youtuber Weiss** )

Madoka arrived between Houki and Raiden as she landed on the ground with a thud. And yet, it seemed as if her IS was completely wrecked and in need of repairs due to its severe damage and burns. The butterfly wings of Black Knight were severely damaged, her right leg armor almost completely gone, her helmet broken in two leaving the right half of her face exposed, charred and bleeding, and her Star Breaker cannons completely damaged beyond functionality. Her fusion cannon was now in shambles.

Madoka, with blood all over her face and severe electrical burns over her arms and legs, gave a mighty scream of defiance and pain as one half of her face was shown with blood covering it, almost as if the scream was that of an animal. Her sclera (white layer of her eyeball) was filled with much red, almost as if she was tired. Her pupil was diluted into an oval shape, like that of a cat.

Madoka then walked over to a stunned and petrified Houki slowly but steadily in what appeared to be a severe state of humiliation and anger, breathing very heavily and quickly.

"Not enough…not enough…not enough…"

Fifty yards away, Raiden could only watch in dread as he was so exhausted and injured that it was taking him a while just to stand up. Pain immobilized him and he struggled hard just to fight against it.

Madoka stopped near Houki who was filled with fear as tears formed her eyes. Madoka then screamed,

"IT IS NOT ENOUGH!"

With that said, Madoka used her hidden sword from her fusion cannon to try to land a vertical hit on an unmoving Houki who had merely closed her eyes in fear. However, Madoka's sword was met by Yukihara's blade as Ichika deployed his IS, still in its 2nd Shift, to block her strike, which was taking a lot of his strength just to hold back.

Unmoved yet annoyed, Madoka then concentrated her energies into the sword, giving it a bright purple fiery light and making Ichika yell in defense as he counters the energies with Byakushiki's white light. He stood his ground even as the energies from Madoka's blade overwhelmed him yet he continued to remain strong, even as Houki looked on in shock and awe.

Raiden manages to get up as he struggled despite his heavy injuries and, having finally stood up straight, cries out,

"Houki!"

This managed to snap Houki out of her dazed mind as she sees Raiden jump high into the air. She then realized what she needed to do.

"Raiden!" Houki cries to him as she tossed his tessen high into the air.

With IS activation despite being severely damaged to the point that leaves his lion helmet broken in two, Raiden manages to catch it with a flip before he yells,

"Ichika!"

This prompted Ichika to back off Madoka as she turned her attention to the lion fast approaching her from above. Ichika runs to Houki to get her to safety while Madoka and Raiden finish their fight, both of them charging towards one another with their weapons at the ready.

"Akuruka, I seek even more! Devour my soul and in return, grant me the power to destroy my enemies and to tear the heavens and hells asunder!"

Madoka, in her defiance and refusal of defeat, yells at Raiden,

"You dare…You dare to live?! I will make you suffer for everything!"

The two prepare their final energies as white and blue energy covered Raiden's body just as the purple and black energies did the same for Madoka. Their internal animal silhouettes showed up in the background of their auras, with Raiden's being a silver winged lion with metal angelic wings and Madoka's being a large, black, and evil moth of sorts. The moth's silhouette body was predominately black with very large wings that have patterns of red, black and yellow. It also has yellow horns on its head, six legs, and red eyes which glow purple with a purple fiery mascara, as well as a red line which runs down the body's sides. ( **Author's note** : For reference, it's Battra)

The two yelled as they nearly come into contact with one another.

"MADOKA!"

"RAIDEN!"

With that, the two struck their blades at each other one final time and a massive explosion of energy occurred. Houki screamed at Raiden's name and tries to get to him but Ichika manages to cover her and hold her back.

Once the dust settled, Ichika looks over to see what had happened to his surprise.

Raiden and Madoka were at opposite sides facing each other away. Their IS' were gone, likely destroyed due to the heavy energies produced, and their blades clearly made the cut with one another as they both had blood drawn unto them. Madoka's cut was vertical, cutting a diagonal line down Raiden's chest, as Raiden's was horizontal, slicing across her stomach. The two of them were about twenty feet away from one another after the cut was made. Madoka showed her gritted teeth as Raiden kept a calm and serious expression, an expression that spelled that it was finished.

Seconds passed and it seemed like nothing had happened. Then...

[ **THUMP** ]

Madoka collapses to the ground knees first before her body soon followed as did Raiden before he uses his gunblade in his right hand to bring himself up onto his knees in a crude seiza position by sticking his sword into the ground. Pain like no other coursed through his body as he felt the cut on his chest was deep and his left arm still severely burned and paralyzed. He then spews a great amount of blood from his mouth as his body had completely went over the limits of what a normal human would be able to endure. His mouth was left ajar as more blood, mixed with saliva, dripped down onto the puddle as he struggled to breathe.

Yet he did not fall like Madoka and used the remainder of his strength to keep himself up on his knees with just one hand on the hilt of his gunblade, showing the victor despite his grip being very weak and his body exhausted completely.

The battle at last was finally over.

Squall had arrived from the smoke in her IS and picked up the unconscious and heavily wounded Madoka in her arms. She then looked over to Raiden who struggled to move. It was then that Squall merely gave a smile and thought to her mind,

 _You certainly haven't changed at all…my little Raiden._

With that, Squall took off with Madoka and fled. The atmosphere was quiet as Raiden bled all over his body. Blood poured slowly from his head and his arms felt weak. His chest felt like it was crushed by an 800-pound elephant and his legs felt like they were severed completely. His chest had a horrible slash of Madoka's sword and his left arm was severely burned from the electricity that went off during the explosion as a horrible mark was burned on it from the top of the shoulder to the fingertips.

And yet despite being in immense pain like no other to which no normal human being could ever survive, Raiden slowly looked over to his right and saw Ichika and Houki, to which he gave a warm smile, even with blood pouring from the right side of his head. Tears flooded Houki's eyes as she rushed over to him as Ichika merely gave a sigh of relief and relaxed back for a bit before coming to help over.

* * *

Meanwhile from far away, on the golden pagoda of Kinkakkuji, sat the certain purple-haired rabbit girl. Next to her was a silver-haired girl in whose eyes were closed, almost as if she was blind to begin with. She looked very similar to Laura in appearance yet wore a white and blue outfit and had in her lap a cane. Chloe Chronicle was her name and she deemed herself to be Tabane's loyal servant, carrying out her orders without question.

Tabane dissipates a hologram she was looking at before gazing over the landscape.

"I wonder if Chi-chan enjoyed my gift." said the Rabbit.

"Good question." complimented Chloe. "Certainly more than the unmanned IS's."

Tabane chuckled like a child. "Either way, things will get way, way more exciting!"

Tabane made no response and merely kept her composure and smile.

"Chi-chan's little sister, huh? The world sure is full of mysteries. Especially the blind boy."

"Certainly." said Chloe. She then asked one question.

"So, I guess the god would have awoken either way, no?"

"Indeed." confirmed Tabane. "Now, the Akuruturuka has awoken, at last."

Tabane could only look on and see Raiden attended to by Houki, along with the other girls. She then thought to herself,

 _Lion Heart…What mysteries do you have within that has peaked my interest?_

* * *

"Boy…In the end, everyone made it out alive huh?" asked a relaxing boy in the onsen.

"Indeed." said another as he took a sip of sake with his right hand.

Ichika and Raiden respectively were back at the inn in an onsen relaxing. Even though they just had a battle, an onsen was well worth it. Despite Raiden's injuries, he recovered surprisingly rapidly but it wasn't 100%. Unfortunately, he would have to wear some black bandages all over his body, the most notable being his chest that was made of a water-absorbent cloth and covered only half of his upper body from left to right. Another was his entire left arm that was completely immobile and in a sling due to internal nerve damage received from the electricity. Some dried blood stains still showed but it didn't matter much to Raiden. So long as he could walk, breathe, and eat, that was all that mattered.

( **Author's note** : Insert Soundtrack: _AQUAPLUS – Utawarerumono Itsuwari no Kamen Game and Anime Original Soundtrack Vol. 1 – Itsuwari no Kamen_ ) ( **Look it up on iTunes** **or YouTube Utawarerumono Mask of Deception OST - Mask of Deception under the Youtuber Weiss** )

"Man, I don't want to go through that again." Ichika said before suggesting, "I can't wait to get back to the Academy, or even to that mountain cabin you mentioned of in Yamanashi."

"Agreed." Raiden approved. "There's nothing there where I grew up. But it's peaceful and far from the ordinary. There's this outlook that my Mentor use to take me to when I was a kid to see the world. She took me there to play at times."

"I can't wait." said Ichika. "I'm sure everyone else would like it there as well, Chifuyu-nee included."

"Yeah. We can all go together."

Ichika relaxes back onto a rock structure and closes his eyes while Raiden does the same before taking another sip of his saké.

"As long as we don't run into any more trouble with Phantom Task or whatever, it'll be just perfect."

Raiden could only chuckle, with a slight bit of sarcasm, and said "You haven't changed one damn bit."

The two boys gave a laugh before they went back to their private thoughts. During his battle with Madoka, Ichika noticed a small pendant that contained Chifuyu's picture on it. Yet he couldn't figure out why someone such as her would have such a thing. Could it really be that Ichika truly has a younger sister and that Chifuyu was just lying to him about it for a reason? He didn't know. And he may never know or understand even if he did.

Raiden, however, contemplated on the woman he saw in his vision right after he died, his own mother. The silver-haired woman with a white kimono, hugging him and merely telling him to relax as the light and warmth took them over to heal his injuries. When Raiden saw her face, he was at peace, knowing that at least one family member was alive.

One question lingered in Raiden's mind about her.

 _Will I ever see her again?_

He would never be able to answer that question as Raiden, with his sharp hearing, heard noises from the inn. Noises that sounded familiar and girlish. To make matters worse, Ichika was about to leave the bath.

"All right, guess I'll get out."

Raiden immediately whispered in a somewhat a loud voice "An-chan, hide!"

"Huh?" asked a confused Ichika. "Why?"

"Just hide! Someone is coming!"

It was then to Ichika's ears that Raiden was right. The sound of girlish noises emerged from the closed door.

"I'm excited for the huge open-air bath!" cried Cecilia in joy. "It'll be wonderful to take a bath under the night sky!"

Ichika quickly scrambled over behind the rock structure. But Raiden did not join him and was nowhere to be seen, making Ichika fear the worst for his best friend.

"Wh-Why are they here?!"

Ichika could only listen in fear as one by one, the girls started to come in.

"Bath, bath!" cried Rin as she leaped across the ground. "It's absolutely beautiful!"

"Rin-san, please wait up!" cried Cecilia.

Both Rin and Cecilia entered before Rin waved at everyone else to join. Cecilia, to Ichika's horror, was right next to the rock he was hiding at. Luckily, he happened to be on the other side.

"The temperature is just right." complimented Cecilia.

"Okay. I'm a rock now." whispered Ichika, thanking for his cover. "I'll become a fine piece of rock! Let's just pretend I am."

Ichika, however, was getting overheated as his body slipped further into the water.

After Laura washed herself, she asked in curiosity.

"What is this smell?"

"Oh, this is the scent of the hinoki wood." answered Houki as she turned around.

"It's so warm and feels great!" said Charlotte as she turned to Kanzashi.

"Yeah!" replied the girl. Her sister then came over with a small towel, and shivering for some odd reason.

"It's freezing!" Tatenashi complained before she stepped in. Sighing happily, she said, "I'm in heaven!"

She then turned to Houki and asked.

"Houki-chan, is it just me or did your breasts get even bigger?"

Houki looked a bit shocked and covered herself. She then asked embarrassingly,

"D-Do you think so?"

Tatenashi then gave that evil smile as her hands were at the ready to grope them again.

"Let me touch them!"

"No!" refused the samurai girl.

"What?" moaned the complaining cat.

"I-I'm starting to feel lightheaded." said Ichika as he fell to the right and submerged underwater, losing his conscious. His body then floated up to the trio of Kanzashi, Rin, and Cecilia, who screamed at the sight of it.

Raiden, meanwhile, was in an area of the onsen that was heavily thick with steam. He felt that if he were there in a safe distance, using the steam as cover, he would be safe and boy did his gamble pay off.

Raiden couldn't help but feel regret though. Leaving his surrogate younger brother at the hands of Laura, Cecilia, Kanzashi, and Rin after being found might have taken a toll but it was Ichika's fault for being weak against heat.

"Sorry, An-chan. But it's every man for himself in this situation." muttered Raiden. "Might as well leave before I get discovered as well through overheating."

Suddenly, Raiden felt two soft orbs on his back, which shocked him a little, before realizing to his horror what they were. And the feeling for them felt like it was intentional. Raiden slowly turned around and found Tatenashi on his back naked as she wrapped her arms around Raiden's neck. For some reason, her face looked red.

"Ara. Were you trying to leave so soon, Aruji-sama?" asked Tatenashi in a sweet and seductive voice.

"Well…I was about to until you showed up." said Raiden, blushing over the fact that he was now stuck due to the blue cat's grip.

"Just five minutes longer in here, please?" asked Tatenashi as she looked at him face to face. "We can spend a lot of 'play time' right here and right now."

Raiden quickly caught onto Tatenashi's breath, which smelled like alcohol. He felt like what it smelled like wasn't true but it was. Raiden look at Tatenashi's right hand and found a bottle of saké that she took from Raiden's set. To his horror, Raiden found Tatenashi to be drunk, even as she continually rubbed her hands all over Raiden's chest, particularly in the areas that were not covered by the cloth. Raiden could only be shocked and slightly jaw-dropped as Tatenashi moved closer to his face and seductively tempted him to kiss her, pulling back every time to her pleasure. Her naked breasts were touching him completely and shamelessly.

It was then that Raiden felt an aura in front of him. An aura that was both dark and had an intent to kill. He slowly turned up front and saw Houki and Charlotte, the latter with eyes closed and a smile that spelled death. Houki, meanwhile, had a fire raging behind her as her hair began to rise up and her fists gripped hard. The sight of Tatenashi clinging onto her beloved filled her with fury. Tatenashi could only look curiously at the two and tilt her head in a cute confusion, wondering what was going on.

"Raiden…" asked Charlotte, prompting a scared Raiden to look at her as she kept her composure. "Care to explain what this is?"

"Um…" said a stuttering Raiden. "Well, it's just…"

"It's just what?" pressed Houki as she cracked her knuckles and as the two stepped closer, making Raiden back up against a wall of the onsen.

"Well…crap." said Raiden as he was now faced with something he knew he could never escape from. This was going to get ugly fast. The two girls' face then exploded with pure anger.

"DIE!"

It was then that the two girls tackled him, with the blind boy screaming in pain.

* * *

 **Author's note** : This is **NOT** the last chapter as I plan to add the World Purge OVA. Stay tune for it next month!


	28. Chapter 27: World Purge-hen (PART 1)

**CHAPTER 27**

In an unknown location, Tabane Shinonono was happily typing away on her holographic keyboard. Her main screen showed what looked to be a blueprint of an underground complex as she typed faster and faster, intent on whatever it was she was looking for.

One location of the complex suddenly became lit and pointed at the direction. This caught Tabane's attention as she stopped typing.

"I see, I see." said Tabane in her usual child-like voice. "Found ya!"

Just then, the common her computer sprang up, along with Chloe's voice.

"Tabane-sama."

"Yeah?"

"The bread is ready." informed the silver-haired girl.

"Okay~!"

Turning off her computer consoles, the holoscreens disappeared as her chair retracted back in place before the chair itself moved over to the door. Soon, the large steel frame opening upwards in three parts as the stairs lowered down from her hideout that looked like a rocket of sorts.

The Rabbit excitingly jumped out with much enthusiasm.

"Ready or not, here I come! Ooh, that smells scrum-diddly-umptious!"

Chloe could not help but smile and chuckle quietly, seeing her master excited.

"So Chloe, I was wondering if you could do me a teensy-weensy little favor." said Tabane as she came over.

"Yes. Whatever you need." said Chloe.

But Tabane, on the safe side, was not so appreciated of the attitude in Chloe as she wanted her to be more excited and care free rather than have the mind of an obedient servant. With that, she puffed her cheeks.

"C'mon, you don't need to be so stiff and formal! You can even call me Mama if you want!"

Chloe felt conflicted as she lowered her head a little.

"Forgive me."

"Anyway, about the favor…"

Tabane then got distracted by the delicious display of croissants, baked bread, and tea, all of it ready for breakfast. It has been a long day after all but Tabane did not necessarily need the right nutrients and calories as her body was much different from that of a normal human, so to speak.

With that said, she took one of the croissants.

"Ooh! I'll be taking this!" said Tabane as she took a bite of it.

Chloe looked with anticipation, if not a bit nervous, eager to see if her baking skills have lived up to her master's expectations. Sure enough, Tabane gave it their approval to her satisfaction.

"So yummy!"

Tabane then changed subjects back to her original thought.

"Anyway, I need you to make a special delivery for me."

"All right…" said Chloe, ready to hear her next orders.

* * *

It was quiet at the IS Academy, and for good reason as it was the weekend. Everyone was either busy hanging out with friends and most likely shopping, testing out new IS equipment, spending time with family, or just staying at the Academy studying to prepare for next week. All seemed peaceful at least, for it has been almost three months since the battle at Kyoto by Phantom Task. But to those who were smart enough to see the future, it would only be a matter of time until that peace is disturbed again.

At the cafeteria, Rin and Charlotte sat by one of the tables by the window. Charlotte was enjoying her tea and Rin was bored.

And by bored, she was bored to death. She was pouring droplets of water from her straw onto the paper wrapping that was crumpled up. As the water made contact, the paper slowly flattened out.

"This is so boring." Rin sighs.

Charlotte then asks with a tease, "It's because Ichika isn't here, isn't it?

Rin startles and sits back up. "W-What? N-No it isn't! Like I care if he's here or not."

"If you say so." Charlotte responds with a smile.

"Anyway, our personal units are all in repair thanks to Phantom Task. And we can't temporarily use other IS units, since we're locked to our own."

Rin looks at her right wrist that normally has her IS bracelet on it. But unfortunately, what was suppose to be the bracelet looked more like a wrist band attached firmly to her skin.

"Ichika's unit is out for maintenance, too." Charlotte said. "And so is Raiden's, though his requires immediate attention."

"Speaking of Raiden though…" Rin said. "I heard he was getting surgery for his left arm."

"That's what I heard as well. Though his surgery is more like amputation."

"Amputation?" asked Rin.

"His left arm was so severely damaged to the point where the nerve cells were basically rendered nonfunctional, incapacitating the whole left arm." Charlotte said as she put down her tea.

"Jeez." Rin then changed subjects. "Ichika better come back soon."

Soon, Rin was left to her own thoughts as she gazes out the window and looks to the bright, blue sky. Charlotte seemed happy though Rin caught wind of this and gasped loudly.

"Wh-What?! It's not like I'm lonely or anything!"

Charlotte gave a cute laugh of amusement but then all of the sudden out of nowhere, the power went out.

Charlotte and Rin stood up from their seats and looked to see next what had happened. Soon the emergency shutters to the windows all came down and everything went dark.

"Hey Charlotte." said Rin.

"Yeah…The emergency power and lights aren't turning on. Something's up." noted Charlotte.

Just then, a green hologram box appeared on the left side of their faces as a voice was spoken out. It was Chifuyu Orimura's.

"All of you with personal units, gather at the underground special block immediately. I'll send you directions."

* * *

 **OP song: Suara – Hikari (For reference, look up on YouTube Utawarerumono Futari no Hakuoro trailer)**

 **Kimi e no omoi wasurenai you ni** (The iron tessen descends onto the screen unfolded.)

 **mune fukaku kizamikomu kara** (Raiden appears in the background and grabs the tessen out of the air before two skeletal wings adorned with metal feathers, like his IS, appear from behind him. He takes off in flight as the feathers fly off.)

(Opening title is introduced as Infinite Stratos 2)

 **Arifureta hibi wo tobikoete yukeru** (Houki watches from the rooftop of the IS Academy the sunrise before a gentle wind blows her hair.)

 **habataku yuuki wo motteru** (The sun's ray hits her eyes before she adjusts her sight while wiping a few tears away)

 **Mada minu sekai ni tobidashite yukeba** (Chifuyu drives a Black Kawasaki Ninja 300 ABS Sports Motorbike down a road at night as Tabane appears at her side before flying off into the moon with a set of holographic butterfly wings. Her image disappears shortly afterwards.)

 **nanika ga kitto matteiru** (Houki, in her IS Akatsubaki, faces forward as her hair is blown by the wind)

 **Tamerau hodo no kizu wo oottemo** (A blue meteor-like object falls to the ground before revealing Tatenashi in her IS, Mysterious Lady, as she stands up and twirls and spins her spear in a ready position)

 **akiramenaide subete ukeireyou** (Kanzashi Sarashiki appears in a holographic world in her IS, Uchigane Nishiki, while holographic data surrounds her as she dances with holographic birds)

(Camera zooms down to a battlefield just beginning between IS Golems and the gang.)

 **Kimi e no omoi wasurenai you ni** (Laura is the first to attack as she descends and slices a Golem with her wrist blades before using her cables followed by her rail gun. Rin parries a Golem with her Souten Getsu before taking off its head in a spin attack)

 **mune no naka fukaku kizamitsukeru** (Ichika appears to take out one Golem before dismantling another with his Particle Cannon by grabbing onto its head. The next scene cuts to Charlotte and Cecilia prepping their sniper rifles to fire.)

 **mezasu mirai wo yasashiku terashite** (Raiden and Madoka, without their IS, engage in a close quarters weapon combat, Raiden using his tessen and Madoka using a Wakizashi. After a couple of hits, Raiden is thrown high into the air from another hit from Madoka before he backflips and deploys his IS and fires his lascannons at Madoka. Madoka, in turn, dodges while activating her IS, Black Knight, and flies up to Raiden to engage him again, locking their swords.)

 **hikari hanatsu hoshi no you ni** (Madoka and Raiden are engulfed in a massive explosion in the form of a pillar of fire. At a volcanic place of sorts, the two sides of Lion Heart, the dark lion and Raiden's mother Azumi Hataru, are shown before Raiden is engulfed in a massive pillar of energy, unleashing everything before a shadowy silhouette of Lion Heart's true form is shown briefly.)

(Miriam Walker is shown in front of the CIA headquarters building in Washington DC as the camera moves upwards. **SCENE CHANGE** The spirit of Akane Fujimoto is shown in heaven, watching from a hill adorned with Cherry Blossoms as the wind blows her hair, with a cigarette in her mouth. **SCENE CHANGE** Squall Meusel is shown in her bath robe sitting on the edge of her bed smirking at the camera, with Autumn sleeping naked in the background. **SCENE CHANGE** Tabane is shown at the top of the stairs, her outfit stained with blood and her eyes the color of bright glowing blue, with a room set on fire as she gives a cold and emotionless look. **SCENE CHANGE** The camera zooms in to a Shinto shrine inside a mountain, where inside lies a throne made of stone and encased in clear blue crystal before it shows Houki in front of it, dressed in a kimono with ornaments attached to her head as she turns around and smiles to the camera. **SCENE CHANGE** Raiden is shown next in his IS Academy uniform as he turns around with his tessen while unfolding it before folding it back in and the screen turns to white.)

* * *

Ichika arrived at the intended destination, the Kuramochi Research building that was on Academy grounds but in an unknown location. Given that his IS needed to be checked out, he was requested to go there where someone would be waiting for him. But there was no one there to greet him.

"Kuramochi Research…Guess this is the place."

Ichika entered through the doors inside the building where there was nothing but IS lab equipment set up, almost like a car factory. It was dark as the lights were off.

"Excuse me…" said Ichika before he felt a shadow behind him as he turned around.

Until that shadow revealed itself to be a woman of teal hair and in a lab coat, large pink and fluffy animal shoes, an IS suit of sorts, and lab goggles. She smirked upon seeing the boy and giggled in delight.

She then vanished from sight as Ichika looked around.

"Hey there, pretty boy. Wanna go in my room and have some fun?" asked the woman as she groped Ichika's butt, making him yell in shock and jump forward.

The woman laughed at the amusement. "You're Orimura, right?"

"Huh? Um, yeah…" confirmed the scared boy.

"I'm Kagaribi Hikaruno." The woman introduced herself as she took off her goggles. "I'm the head of Kuramochi Research's second lab."

Ichika looked dumbfounded and confused.

 **LATER…**

Byakushiki was being scanned from top to bottom as the ring scanner went upwards.

"Looks like it's been through hell and back." commented Hikaruno. "It'll probably be faster if we just do the maintenance here."

"Will it take long?" asked Ichika.

"Of course it will!" said Hikaruno as she reached below to grab something. "Just go fishing or something. You can catch loads at the river nearby."

Ichika then caught a fishing pole made out of bamboo.

"You can dig up some bait there yourself."

"Okay…" Ichika said. This maintenance was indeed going to take a while.

* * *

Underground, all the girls except for Raiden beheld six chairs aligned on the wall and one stasis pod on the left side. They looked in bewilderment to see such a facility underneath the Academy.

As for the stasis pod, it was connected via two large cables pound to a power generator behind it and was for some reason, active with an occupant inside. It was a large metal pod with form-fitting gel bed where the patient is frozen for a set amount of time. Its front cover was a large indestructible glass meant to keep the freezing temperature inside, along with the patient.

"There was a place like this underground?" asked Houki.

"Let me explain the situation." said Chifuyu over the comm link as she looked from above in another room with Kanzashi and Yamada-sensei present inside monitoring their screens.

All the girls turned around to hear instructions.

"At this moment, all of the Academy's systems are down. In other words, we are being hacked."

"None of the students have been harmed yet," said Yamada-sensei. "But we have to regain control of the system, no matter what. You'll need to dive into the system's virtual reality via the IS Core Network."

"D-Dive into the system?" asked Cecilia.

"Is that…" asked Rin as she turned to Cecilia. "Don't tell me…"

"So we'll have to bypass the IS' pilot nervous system protection and infiltrate the network as our virtual selves?" asked Laura with her hands crossed.

"I know it's theoretically possible, but..." said Charlotte in concern.

"Raiden is already inside the Network as we speak." Chifuyu said. "You should be able to find him there."

Those next words shocked everyone before confusion went over their faces. Raiden wasn't there with him so how could he be already in there? Logically, he may have been the first one to enter the facility and dive into the network but the flaw would be that he would not go in without instructions.

"But, Orimura-sensei, where is Raiden?" asked Houki.

Chifuyu then pointed to the stasis pod, whose glass cover reveals a sleeping Raiden in cryosleep, resting still as a brick. He looked at peace with himself, almost as if he was having a good sleep, but the area around him was cold as part of the stasis pod's systems for preservation of the physical body. What was most noticeable on Raiden was his left arm as it was completely amputated and replaced with a metal cybernetic skeletal arm.

Houki came over in shock and put her hands on the glass, with an expression of worry as she saw her lion lying still inside the metal capsule.

"He's been in there for at least a month and a half, healing his wounds physically and mentally from the last battle with Phantom Task." said Yamada-sensei. "Not only that, but his IS Lion Heart had been giving off strange anomalies and he is trying to figure out what they are. We've already informed him of our situation."

Everyone looked in shock. Now they wonder why Raiden had been absent for a month and a half since the battle at Kyoto. Officially from him, he was having his arm amputated but he did not reveal a cybernetic arm replacement that is in the form of a metal skeletal arm.

But time was of the essence and there was no time to simply worry for a blind boy already inside the Network. Chifuyu clasped her hands together to get their attention.

"All personnel, stand by. The mission will commence."

"Roger!" They all said in unison.

"Provide external backup, Sarashiki Kanzashi." ordered Chifuyu. "And inform Raiden of the girls coming in."

"Roger."

All five of the girls, after taking off their school uniforms and into their IS suits, went into their chambers and sat and laid back. The chair-like machines leveled their bodies vertically and moved backwards inside.

"We will now connect you to the virtual reality." said Kanzashi as the countdown began from 15 seconds down. "Please head to the system's core and reboot it. Raiden should be there waiting. Standby."

The countdown reached zero and everyone was transported inside the Core Network, where the view was so out of this world.

"Now then, I have another task for you." said Chifuyu to the one behind her which was Tatenashi Sarashiki.

"Your orders?"

Tatenashi was showing no signs of her usual folly attitude as she silently nodded.

"There's a high chance enemy forces are on their way here, but I doubt it's Phantom Task who are coming after Raiden again."

"You want me to intercept them?"

There would certainly be another country using this chaos to invade, and Chifuyu had already seen through this.

"Precisely The others can't fight right now. I'm sorry, but I'm leaving it up to you."

"Understood."

 **MEANWHILE…**

By the time the girls were in, their images manifested as they found themselves before five identical white doors.

"What is this?" asked Charlotte.

"Are we suppose to go in?" asked Rin.

"Most likely." said Kanzashi over the comms. "Raiden should be on the other side waiting for you all. But the signal is unstable ahead, so you'll all be on your own until you can meet him."

"Roger that." said Houki as comms went off.

All five of the girls approached their doors and entered into the unknown. The doors then closed as soon as they went through.

 **WORLD PURGE. COMMENCE.**

* * *

Meanwhile, Ichika was outside fishing as he had been for the past two hours. So far nothing had been catching on his line and if it did, they took the bait and swam off to the boy's dismay. But at least he enjoyed the scene and nature and the quiet, except for the birds chirping in the background.

"This is so relaxing." Ichika said. "The Academy's always so loud."

"Can't keep up with the energy of teenage girls?" asked a familiar voice that emerged out of the water. Kagaribi Hikaruno popped out with a fish caught on her wooden trident.

"Hikaruno?" asked Ichika as the woman sat down next to him.

"Have you heard of the IS Core Network?" asked Hikaruno.

"U-Um…" Ichika could not answer because like always, he was distracted by her bosom. He turned away with a pink blush.

"I-It's based on the communications protocol that they use for space missions. It's a virtual reality where every IS is connected, right?"

Hikaruno was on all fours like a cat, like she was ready to pounce at any moment.

"Yeah, more or less." Hikaruno confirmed as she set up the fire. With their lunch in the form of two caught fish ready, Hikaruno explained further.

"That's how your Byakushiki gets data from things like your sister's Kurazakura and its One-Off Ability, or how it replicates the White Knight's abilities."

Ichika seemed to have understood it. If he gets his power from the Netwrok because of his sister's IS, then it may make sense why his IS always evolves into 2nd Shift.

"My job is to augment IS units that gain new abilities and such." Hikaruno said. "But I have been forbidden to augment the units with Raiden's due to the fact of that power of his from what I gathered."

Ichika lowered his head slightly as he was thinking back. He then saw flashbacks of Raiden in his Akuruturuka, giving off a bellowing roar and seeing such the incredible destructive power that almost leveled Kyoto to ground zero. That power alone was too dangerous as the United Nations quickly covered it up so as to not spread fear and chaos to the people but it would only be a matter of time until they find out.

Although the city recovered, it was still talked about and everyone around the world started to wonder how that power, the power of the Akuruka, was made in the first place.

* * *

Inside of an empty classroom, Rin had her face down on a desk. When she woke up, she found herself at her old middle school.

"What? What's going on?" Rin asked as she stood up. Something did not feel right at all.

Rin sat back down and looked at her right sleeve. "This is my middle school uniform!" She lifted up her sleeve to find her IS bracelet now gone to her shock.

"It's gone. This is definitely a trap."

The door to the classroom soon opened, revealing Ichika in his middle school uniform as well.

"Hey, Ling." Ichika said, to the girl's shock. He then came over to her desk.

"Wh-What is it?" asked Rin.

"Can I come over at your place?" asked Ichika. "You know, since we're dating and all."

Rin looked shock as she turned to her right. Her jaw dropped to the floor at Ichika's claim.

"It's okay, right, Ling?" asked Ichika.

Blushing, she hesitantly answered, "Yeah…"

 **WORLD PURGE. COMPLETE**

Both of them ran back to Rin's family restaurant and house while holding their bags above their heads as umbrellas from the rainy afternoon. After all, Japan does have some rainy, wet days and sometimes they are not a pretty sight, especially for school students without umbrellas.

By the time they both entered the house, they were both wet and cold.

"Man, it started pouring out of nowhere."

"For real!" Rin agreed as she dried herself off with her handkerchief. "Jeez, I'm soaked to the bone!"

She then felt a towel drape over her head by Ichika.

"Let me dry you off."

"Huh? Oh…Thanks…" Rin's voice trailed off by her crush until Ichika had another idea to set things off.

"Hey, Rin. I'll get the rest of your body." Ichika suggested but Rin only gasped like a mouse.

"You idiot!" She then threw the towel at his face. Ichika did not seem startled by her reaction for some odd reason as Rin hid in a corner. Even though they were dating, to do such things made Rin think of something else to her embarrassment.

"I-I guess it's okay. For now." Rin muttered while holding her chest.

"Wanna take a shower together?" Ichika asked.

"You pervert!" Rin gasped as she ran away.

Rin made it to her room, panting from her new world that looked too real with Ichika in her house now. This was what Rin asked for unconsciously and her desires shaped it all.

Rin laid her head down on her table as she rested for a bit.

"Anyway, I need to get changed!"

As Rin was halfway through removing her underwear, Ichika opened the door without knocking, naked from the hot shower except a towel around his waist and one covering his upper body, of which showed his strong abdominal muscles. He showed no signs of embarrassment which was unusual, while Rin just stood there with a blushed-up face.

"I'm done with the shower." Ichika said casually.

Rin screamed loudly before her arm was grabbed as she was pulled into a hug by him without his hesitation. All was quiet between the two of them as Rin calmed down little by little, embracing the position she was in.

"I want you." Ichika said.

Rin was hesitant before she slowly nodded. She was then lead to the bed as she laid down with Ichika on top.

"No…" Rin protested quietly yet she knew that she wanted this.

"Ling…" Ichika trailed his hands down from Rin's neck to her chest

"You're so pretty." Ichika said as he unbuttoned her shirt and revealed her pink bra. Her moans echoed throughout the room.

"I-Ichika…"

"I'm going to take your clothes off now." said Ichika as Rin nodded to let him proceed.

* * *

Tatenashi was leaning against a wall, waiting for the intruders. Wearing her IS suit and holding her fan in her hands, she patiently waited and prepared herself for what was to come. But a part of her mind at the moment was concerned for one thing, and one thing only.

 **FLASHBACK… (1.5 months ago)**

" _So, you will not reconsider?" asked Tatenashi in concern._

" _I've made my choice, Tatenashi, for all of us." said Raiden._

" _If you put yourself into that pod, who knows how long you may remain within the network. I know it is to heal your injuries, but…"_

 _Raiden came over to Tatenashi and cupped her cheek while looking at her eyes._

" _That's why I have to do this. Ever since Kyoto, something has been calling me. Calling all of us. If I do not figure out what it is, then it may be too late."_

" _You really cannot wait?" asked Tatenashi as she held Raiden's hand that cupped her cheek._

" _I've been stalling long enough." said Raiden. "The others will not understand, but I know you will. Chifuyu already knows what I am about to do."_

" _But still…" Tatenashi clings to Raiden's jacket, obviously showing her fear of losing him coupled with a sign of shaking in her body._

" _I'll be alright. I know they may seem empty words and promises, but I need to figure out just what it was that my mother and father left for me. Tell no one of this. Let them see it with their own eyes."_

 _Raiden hugs Tatenashi to ease herself and caresses her gently. They then kissed as the flashback ends with a white light._

 **PRESENT…**

Tatenashi then heard an alarm ring up, which showed up on a holographic screen saying **Trespasser Alert**. Smirking, she said,

"It's about time."

A thick fog emitted the hallway as about a dozen of invisible armed soldiers turned to hear a giggle while trying to remain calm and collective.

"Didn't take you long to show up." said Tatenashi from behind them.

Flipping her fan open that said Welcome, Tatenashi asked, "I wonder, have you been monitoring us 24/7?"

One of the soldiers turned around and opened fire with his M-16 as did the rest. But Tatenashi procured up a barrier to protect herself. After the firing, she dropped the barrier as the bullets fell.

"Joke's on you. This is an AIC, active inertia canceler. And boom goes the dynamite."

With a snap of her fingers, a chain of large explosions engulfed the entire corridor hallway, incinerating the soldier's protective cloaking device. While none were harmed, their pride had certainly been shattered.

"So, how did you like my Clear Passion?" Tatenashi asked while grinning. "I love things like this."

* * *

"I understand." A British woman of high class said. "If that is the case, it would be a necessity to have the groups contact each other more frequently, would it not?"

"I am terribly sorry." apologized the informant. "I shall report to you again on a later date."

"Farewell." said Cecilia as the holographic windows of the meeting ended. Cecilia laid back to relax for today has been nothing but a long day for her. She rings the bell on her desk, summoning her butler who entered, much to her joy as she blushed.

"Did you call, Representative?" asked Ichika.

Cecilia pouted with her cheeks, "You know what to do when we're alone, don't you?"

Ichika laughed as he relaxed his posture. "I'm sorry, Cecilia."

Cecilia then lost herself in thought.

 _The Orimura family has been serving the Alcott family for generations, so we've been together since forever! Since…forever?_

Cecilia thought back to a picture of her and Chelsea, whom the maid was replaced with Ichika instead. Almost immediately, Cecilai knew that something was up.

 _Right…Everything is so perfect…It's like I'm in a completely different world. I want this to last forever. Forever and ever._

At her private bathhouse, Cecilia shed herself of her clothes as the hot water filled up the bath tub with roses as décor.

"Now then…" said Cecilai as she unhooked the clasp from behind that made her take off her bra. She set it in the hamper as she sighed happily.

 _It's the special day of the week._

She then entered into the hot tub, embracing the warmth as it relaxed her.

"Cecilia, I'm coming in." said Ichika from behind the door.

"A-All right. Please do." Cecilia said as she watched her butler undress himself into his special two-piece suit that covered his upper and lower body.

 _Today's the day where I have Ichika wash my body._

After undressing himself in a cool way, Ichika asks.

"Shall we get started?"

"Y-Yes…" Cecilia said as she stood up from her tub. "Please go ahead."

"We'll start from the top like always." Ichika said with two hands full of soap as they made contact to Cecilia's body.

Cecilia moaned quietly as she felt his hands all over her back gently.

 _It's embarrassing but it feels good!_

Ichika lowered himself on his knee as he went to Cecilia's lower body. When Ichika rubbed Cecilia's tush, he groped them slightly and asked in curiosity.

"Cecilia, did your rear get a bit bigger?"

Cecilia then gasped. "That's not true!"

"How do you explain this plump of meat then?" asked Ichika as he groped them, making her yelp in a cute way.

"Your body has become so lewd." said Ichika as he put his hands on her waist. "My lewd Cecilia."

Ichika then nibbled on Cecilia's left ear, moaning her to excitement as she falls back into his arms.

"I-Ichika…"

"Shall I move to your front then?" asked Ichika.

Cecilia nodded, indoctrinated from her man's looks that captivated her.

With a click, the belts on the boots tightened.

* * *

Chifuyu was dressed in a black ninja-like body suit, and she lifted her head. She was looking at the 6 blades called katanas, refined from the sharp physical sabers used by IS, and they were leaning on the wall in a sheathed state.

She inserted them into the holster on her thighs, and became an abnormally shaped samurai.

"It's been a while since I tied my hair like this." She said as she bundled her hair tightly.

Chifuyu, with her hair tied into a ponytail, wielded two IS blades in separate hands.

"Let's go."

The door opened as Chifuyu walked into the darkness, and only the emergency lights under her feet showed her profile.

The reflected face of Chifuyu shown on the blade ostensibly showed a smile.

* * *

In France, within a mansion, Charlotte, dressed as a maid, was busy washing and wiping the windows of her master's bedroom. She had been the head maid of Raiden's residence, along with being a personal bodyguard due to her martial art skills.

As she wiped and hummed a song to herself, her skirt was lifted from behind via a pole from the mop by her master, Raiden, who wore his morning robes.

"Hello!" said Raiden as he did the deed, surprising Charlotte.

"Wearing some naughty underwear as usual, Charlotte?" asked Raiden.

"Th-This is…" said Charlotte stutteringly. "I mean, you're the one who told me to wear it…Master."

"You will be calling me husband in one week, not master. Did my proposal not meant that we are now equal?" asked Raiden.

"W-Well, for now I'm still your maid…"

Raiden smiled. "And as head maid, are your master's orders, MY orders, absolute?"

"Yes, of course!" Charlotte confirmed happily. But then to her surprise, she found herself being carried bridal style by Raiden as he laughed and twirled her around.

"I'm glad my cute childhood friend is also a cute maid!" exclaimed Raiden.

Charlotte blushed happily. This was the best day of her life after all, to be serving her master who is her best friend and beloved. She was then laid down on the bed by Raiden, with confusion across her face before it was replaced with a face of love as she was hypnotized by Raiden's gaze.

Her lips then met with Raiden's as he leaned forward and kissed her briefly before pulling back.

 _Does this mean it's finally time for…_ **that** _?_

Raiden met her eyes with his as he gave another one briefly. His mouth and tongue dug into her lips as he came into contact with her teeth. Charlotte slowly wrapped her arms around her man as she kissed back, her legs twitching with every contact his tongue makes with the inside of her mouth.

After letting go, Raiden tosses an outfit onto her. Charlotte sits up and grasps it before a gasp and smile cover her face.

"This is…"

"Yup." confirmed Raiden. "Would you mind trying it on for me, Charlotte?"

Charlotte exclaimed happily, "O-Of course. I'll, uh…I-I'll change into it right now."

Charlotte then undid the ribbon tied behind her waist. But embarrassment and a hint of fear overtook her.

"I-I've got to do my best." She muttered to herself. "It'll be every night once we get married."

Unfortunately for Charlotte, Raiden heard all of that and wrapped his arms around her, with a happy smile on his face.

"Every night, huh? Sure, if that's what you want."

"D-Did I say that out loud?" asked Charlotte in bewilderment.

"Yep." confirmed Raiden as Charlotte looked down with embarrassment.

* * *

One soldier tried to take a hit on Tatenashi with a punch from his right arm, but the girl simply dodged before she cartwheeled forward to avoid the incoming fire, with one bullet hitting one of the soldiers.

Flipping backwards continuously between them as she dodges bullets, Tatenashi treated this fight like a game as one of the bullets knocked out another.

Twirling through the air, she brings a frontal kick downwards onto one soldier that knocked out the protective glass on his helmet before she moved back and kicked another. She sweeped her leg to kick another before she jumped forward into the air and used her left arm to pierce through the last one's chest, knocking him out completely.

Tatenashi could not help but feel disappointed in the fight as she said, "Jeez, you are all so inelegant."

 **MEANWHILE…**

A woman heard the explosion that rang far above her, and moved forward in this pitch-black passage in her IS. The one invading this IS Academy underground special zone was the leader of the American Special Ops unit. She was wearing the stealth energy test model of the IS Fang Quake.

There were slight variances in the details of the designs as compared to Iris' high-speed assault spec combat unit. First, there was a difference in the paint job. Unlike the very easy identifiable tiger stripes of the other unit, it was completely painted in navy blue, used by the SEALS team; it had no decorations at all, and did not have any pictures or squad emblem.

This woman too was without name, and the squad simply called her Leader for convenience.

The leader proceeded on. Her target was the unregistered core that was taken by IS Academy a few days ago. If she could do that, anyone could simply add the number of IS.

But completely unmanned units.

To America, that had a bigger bearing than the number of IS. Right, a certain plan could be completed if it was obtained. She did not know the contents of the plan, and had no interest in it. As the leader, she was solely focused on the mission.

She used the hovers of the Fang Quake to stop her advance. Her sensors clearly picked up a person's presence in front of her, on this pitch-black corridor. She saw Chifuyu Orimura standing in front of her with her swords drawn.

"Have at thee!"

BAM! A spark came with a huge boom, and a shadow came behind the leader as Chifuyu made a dash.

"Brunhilde?" The leader inadvertently muttered.

She was also wielding swords on both hands, and it seemed that those were the two swords that were swung at the Fang Quake armor.

This was the first thing the leader thought of.

She used the IS sensor to check many times, and found that Chifuyu was only equipped with a body suit. This body suit resembled a diving suit, and it covered her body; she was wearing sturdy boots that were enhanced, combat gloves on her hands, and only her face was exposed.

Of course, there should be some bulletproof or bladeproof functions, but even so, she was no different from being stark naked in front of the IS' overwhelming firepower.

"What's wrong? Don't just idle."

The woman merely gritted her teeth more.

"The one standing before you is the first Brunhilde, the first woman to attain the title of strongest. So come at me with everything you've got …soldier."

Chiufyu showed a smirk, and her face showed the relaxed mood of an overwhelmingly powerful person.

* * *

Laura was enjoying a morning breakfast with her wife ( **not husband in this context** ), Ichika Orimura, preparing her meal as she sat by the table. She was dressed in her Schwarzer Regen uniform and reading the newspaper while enjoying her black coffee.

"Laura!" cried Ichika from the kitchen. "It's done!"

He then approached her and set down a plate of omurice in his hand, complete with two pieces of broccoli, three slices of tomato, and ketchup in the shape of a heart on the omurice.

"Sorry for making you do all of this." Laura said with a smile. With confidence, she complimented, "You're the perfect wife."

"You have the day off, right?" asked Ichika. "in that case, I'd like to use one of these." He then pulled out some sort of favor card in his left hand.

But to Laura, she stuttered in surprise. "Th-That's…"

A star shined in Ichika's right eye in the corner as Laura tried to drink the rest of her coffee to her embarrassment.

"Wh-What do you plan on asking me to do?" asked Laura.

Ichika thought for a bit before he came up with an idea.

"Let's see…I want to see you in nothing but an apron!"

Laura coughed and spat out her coffee. That proposal came out of nowhere, and not marriage speaking of course. She glared at her wife with disdain for such a preposterous favor. Of course, the favor card says it all.

"Y-You fool! Who in their right mind would do anything like—"

She was interrupted with Ichika kissing her forehead, even as she leaped from her seat. Her face immediately turned red of blush.

"Pretty please, Laura?" asked Ichika.

"F-Fine…" said Laura out of embarrassment. Maybe this day is not so fortunate for her.

A short while later, Ichika waited on the green sofa as he saw his husband walk out in her apron all naked, much to her shame and discomfiture. Even her eye patch was replaced with a white heart eyepatch.

"A-Are you happy now?" asked Laura. The only other thing she wore were teal morning slippers.

Ichika was happy and excited as he exclaimed "You're so cute, Laura!"

The German girl then yelled out of embarrassment. "Oh, shut up, shut up! Shut up!"

Back on the monitors, Kanzashi saw the wavelengths become abnormal for all the pilots, to her surprise and shock.

But the worst of all was when she saw Raiden's, for she was not getting anything but gray bars and flatlines. She checked the stasis pod as there was nothing going off. But something did not quite add up.

* * *

Once all the soldiers were knocked out, Tatenashi examined the aftermath. To be honest, she felt a little disappointed considering the Americans did not provide a challenge for her. These soldiers were too easy. Matter of fact, the whole battle seemed too easy, at least in her case.

"Is that all of them?" asked Tatenashi. She then procured a hologram showing their identification.

"They're definitely Americans. There was a gap between them getting here and the system going down, though..."

She then asked to herself, "Why wasn't it simultaneous? Are the hackers a different party?"

She could not answer that though as something caught in her head. Going wide-eyed she found her vision to be one of complete darkness before it showed something else. Flames were seen everywhere, the fire dancing wildly out of control.

And from those flames in front of her stood a tall and dark figure of a lion with wings and a spiked head. It faced the opposite way of Tatenashi before it turned around to meet her with its two feet that rumbled every time it made a step. Its head pointed downwards before looking at her eye to eye. A haze of red was all that was seen as it widened.

Tatenashi was scared at this point. To see the creature before her filled her with dread, especially at the size of this magnitude.

"Akuruturuka…" She whispered to herself.

One moment later, a loud roar was heard as she pierced into the lion's eyes.

Her vision then ended with something she did not want to see. It was Raiden, and he stood forward before he turned around to Tatenashi with a smile. But the smile was different, as if he was at peace. It was calm and gentle yet also deceitful. Tatenashi then saw, to her horror, of Raiden's body dissolving into salt. Keeping that smile up, Raiden then vanished as his body was physically dissolved.

Snapping out of her vision, Tatenashi could not stop shaking and her voice became one of great shock.

"No…It can't be."

Just then, one of the American soldiers rose up and fired his pistol at Tatenashi, mortally wounding her as blood poured out from her stomach. She collapsed to the ground in pain, and weakly calls out to the one person who can save her, her friends, and her beloved now in danger.

"Ichika…"

 **At the Kuramochi Research…**

Ichika was drinking coffee but then something snapped in him, almost as if something was in danger.

Or someone.

Setting it down, he instantly ran to his IS while Hikaruno watched in shock from her computer as he tossed his IS uniform at her.

"H-Hey!" cried Hikaruno but Ichika was already inside Byakushiki and broke the bindings.

"Sorry, but I have to go back to the Academy. Now."

"What?" asked Hikaruno.

"Sorry, but I do not have time for doors!" Ichika said as he then blasted one of the walls with his particle cannon and flew off.

Hikaruno looked on in bewilderment and surprise before she smiled to herself.

"Kids these days. Well, I got the data I needed, so I guess it's fine. We can start the next generation's mass production."

* * *

Chifuyu traded blows with Leader as she moved backwards and dodged the attacks gracefully and elegantly. Despite her retirement, she was still an opponent worth taking into for someone like her would not simply rust away with teaching her students about the IS.

After another slash and dash with her katanas at the Leader, Chifuyu is at the other end before she throws her katana but is swiped away.

Looking at the other katana in her hand that is now chipped on the blade in multiple areas due to her constant attacks, Chifuyu swings it in a circle before impaling it into the ground.

"I think that's enough." said Leader.

"The American special forces of yours must have a lot of spare time on their hands. Coming all the way to some school on some Far East island…"

Leader grits her teeth as her pride gets sullied.

"The unregistered IS core isn't the only thing you're after." Chifuyu continued as she drew out another katana and pointed it at Leader. "What a shame, though. The Byakushiki isn't here anymore."

Leader was unfazed. "You know all that, yet you still challenge me?" She asked as she pointed.

"You don't think I can take you on with just this?" Chifuyu asked back as she drew her other katana. "You'd be right if I was some ordinary person."

At that moment, Chifuyu leapt forward and quickly swung at Leader. Sparks fly as the shield from Leader sprang up.

 **Meanwhile...**

Ichika was still flying, trying to find out just where the signal was coming from. He scanned all over the complex and finally found it underground.

"Over there?"

He flew over and infiltrated in just in time to see two American soldiers carrying a mortally wounded Tatenashi in their arms.

"Let go of her right now!"

Ichika grabs one of the soldiers by the head before throwing him to the other, knocking them out. He then attends to Tatenashi's aid as he cradled her in his arms.

"Tatenashi…Tatenashi!"

Tatenashi woke up and saw her savior. "Ichika…"

"Are you alright? I'll take you to the hospital immediately!"

But Tatenashi said, "I'm…fine. Don't worry about me."

She then opened up the hologram to reveal the location of the others.

"Head over there. Everyone's in danger."

"Understood." Ichika was about to go but he was grabbed by Tatenashi who needed to tell him something as tears formed from her eyes.

"Please…save Raiden. He's in more danger than you think."

 **Back at the lab…**

On Kanzashi's monitors, all the frequencies of everyone went haywire. She frantically typed away on her keyboard to save them.

"They won't be able to come back like this!" She said. But unfortunately, she was blocked off as the word **Error** etched onto the screen.

 _What should I do?_

Kanzashi's train of thought broke at the sound and sight of Ichika entering in.

"Ichika!"

"Kanzashi?"

Ichika was asked to head down to where the others were as he entered into the network.

"The IS Academy is currently powerless due to a hacking attack." Kanzashi explained over the comm. "Raiden and the others went into the system in order to fix it, but they've also been attacked and are unable to wake up. Ichika, please rescue everyone from the virtual reality!"

"I don't fully get it, but okay. Here I go." Ichika said as he entered into the network. Once he materialized, he found himself before five of the same doors as before. He then entered into one of them, straight into the unknown.

* * *

Rin was conflicted of her situation. On one hand, she was embarrassed and afraid, knowing that what she is doing frightens her and the fact that she was being stripped of her clothing, ready to do it with Ichika. On the other hand, seemed excited though to do this though only a small part of her. If she did it with Ichika, she would have dominance over the others, being farther ahead of them ever.

But the question was: is this what she wanted most?

"N-No!"

Rin tries to cover up but her hands are immediately pulled away as she arched her back and revealed her naked chest.

"You're so cute, Ling!" said Ichika as he stroked her leg.

"W-Wait!" cried Rin.

"I can't." said Ichika.

"Ichika…"

At this point, Rin was completely under his charm as she closed her eyes and waited for her lips to join his.

Suddenly, the door opened, revealing none other than Ichika in his IS Academy uniform. Rin was shocked as she saw him.

"You bastard! What the hell are you doing to Rin?"

"Ichika?" asked the confused Rin. Now there were two of them. What on earth was going on now?

 _Wait, he's wearing the IS Academy uniform…Then the Ichika in front of me…is he my ideal Ichika? Am I in my own ideal world?_

"World Purge. Anomaly Detected. Entrance of foreign matter. Commence removal."

The fake Ichika's eyes changed and turned yellow as they shone bright. Suddenly everything became distorted as Rin's world flickered out of control. The girl screamed in pain as she held onto her head with her hands.

"It hurts!" Rin cried out in pain.

Both Ichika and the fake charged at each other with a punch, with the former emerging victorious as he landed one on the fake's face, ending him flying before he dissipated into light particles.

Ichika came over to Rin after he took a breather.

"It's okay now."

Rin turned around fearfully as Ichika bore a smile. He then extended a hand out to her.

"I'll protect you, Rin."

Rin took his hand in happiness as she finally was relieved of her nightmare. Her world dissolved away as she and Ichika were transported back to the area with the doors. By the time they did, Rin was sitting on the ground before she realized that her bra was unclipped and her panties were down. She screamed in embarrassment as she covered her bare body.

"It wasn't me! I didn't do anything!" cried Ichika. But that excuse could not change a mind like Rin's given of what she saw.

"Put them back on." Rin demanded.

"Huh?"

"I said, put them back on!" She cried which made the blue boy react drastically shocked as usual.

"You're the one that stripped me!" continued the ranting Rin.

"I said it wasn't me!" said Ichika. In his defense, he didn't really do but at the same time, he did.

Rin gave those puppy eyes as tears started to form. Ichika relented as he was at a loss of words and he had no choice but to comply to orders given.

Ichika kneeled down as he turned his head away.

"I'll have to touch your panties, okay?"

Rin began to freak out though. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm trying not to look, so give me a break!" Ichika said with eyes closed.

Rin gave a humph! and said, "You just need to look, right?"

But she turned back with concerning eyes. "If it's you, I guess it's okay."

With that, Rin lifted her skirt as Ichika slowly put her panties back on.

Ichika muttered to himself. "This is Rin. My classmate at the IS Academy. My second childhood friend."

By then, the holographic screen of Kanzashi popped up.

"Ahem!" Kanzashi cleared her throat catching the two's attention.

"Return for now, Rin." said Kanzashi. "We don't know how else the attack might have affected you."

"Roger."

As Rin was transferred back, she turned around and smiled at Ichika for saving her.

"Ichika, thanks." Rin then disappeared into particles of light.

"Go rescue the others, Ichika." advised Kanzashi.

"Understood." said Ichika as he entered through the door.

* * *

Cecilia was enjoying herself in the bath with Ichika. The hot water flowed out of the bath tub and into the drains installed around the bathroom. She and Ichika were in the bath together. It was just her and him and she wanted this feeling to last forever in her heart.

"Cecilia…" said the fake Ichika as he grasped her left breast. "You've grown here as well."

He gave it a squeeze which made her squeal in pleasure.

"I'll have to take measurements of your new underwear." said the fake as he grasped it more.

Suddenly, the real Ichika pierces through the roof with a metal trident in his hands. The fake stands up in shock to see him here.

"Just what the hell…" Ichika asked as the fake's eyes turned yellow. "Do you think you're doing?"

With that, Ichika charged forward and with a swipe of the trident, knocked the fake out as it dissipated away. Both a confused Cecilia and Ichika were transported back but that was not the least of their problems as for a brief moment, Cecilia was naked and Ichika turned away. By then, her clothes returned to normal.

"Ichika!" said Cecilia. "Y-You saw my…m-my naked body, didn't you?!" She stood up and demanded an answer to which the boy was scared to answer, fearing her wrath.

"I didn't! I swear!" said Ichika. But Cecilia was not buying the excuse.

"Don't lie to me!" She cried as she commanded her BITS to surround him, ready to open fire on him.

"Whoa, hold on!" Ichika said with hands up.

"I'm going to die of embarrassment!" The blond girl cried.

"C-Cecilia!" The BITS only got closer to his face.

"I don't want to hear it!" She demanded back.

With no other choice, Ichika needed to relent and tell the truth, or he will be fried as a turkey for Thanksgiving. With that, he spoke only three words.

"It was pretty!"

Cecilia was shocked as he had a blushing face.

"It was, you know…You have a beautiful body."

"Oh my!" Cecilia squealed in delight as she disbanded her BITS. "The most beautiful in the world? Oh my, Ichika."

Cecilia dissipated as Ichika sighed in relief, saved from his honest confession.

"Anyway, why am I in all of these?" Ichika asked. His answer came by Kanzashi whose screen popped up.

"They are most likely being shown what their hearts desire. An ideal world, where everything is perfect. They can't return to our world because they don't want to leave theirs."

"Their true desires, huh?" Ichika asked. He did not really get it one bit.

It was then that Ichika saw another door but this one was different. Rather than a wooden door like the others, it was a rolling stone boulder.

"Kanzashi, what's that?" asked Ichika.

"I don't know. I'm going to check it out. Go save the others."

Ichika could not help but feel uneasy. That door was a strange anomaly yet he needed to rescue the other girls. Still, he has not found Raiden yet either yet Ichika hopes one of these doors holds him.

* * *

In Charlotte's world, the fake Raiden sits on his chair as he watches Charlotte undress herself from her maid outfit. He was perfectly content yet gave that emotionless look as he watched his fiancé remove the ribbon across her neck and discarded the rest of her maid outfit, leaving her only in her pink bra and panties.

Charlotte was clearly embarrassed but maybe it was the good kind as a part of her wanted this to happen. Where she would willingly leave herself vulnerable for her childhood friend to ravage.

"Raiden…You're staring too much."

"Perhaps." Raiden said as he came forward. "But I know that this is what you wanted most, isn't it?"

With his claw-like finger, Raiden cut out the bra in half which left Charlotte squealing as she hugged her chest and went down to cover herself. But the fake Raiden was not done yet.

Taking her in his arms, he brought her over to the bed where his lion-like nature kicked in as he held her arms down to the bed. Growling softly at the innocent girl as his facial expression was filled with lust, Raiden purred at Charlotte's neck, giving her a moan.

The windows were suddenly busted open as Ichika came out, with a sword drawn. The fake Raiden caught wind of this and hopped off the bed, in a stance of a lion no less. Moving on all four legs perfectly like the said animal, it growled and snarled at Ichika for intruding.

"Anisama! Even you would go this far?!" Ichika asked angrily.

With that, the fake Raiden charged forward and tried to pounce on Ichika but the boy was able to get its sword to pierce the lion's belly. Ichika then took out the sword and sliced it away, the fake Raiden dissolving away into light particles.

Charlotte felt relieved as a warm light surrounded her as she sighed in respite. Ichika was happy to see his good friend out of harm's way but he was clueless to see Charlotte naked as she shrieked in shock.

"Don't look, you lecher!" cried Charlotte as she used her two fingers to jam them into Ichika's eyes.

"My eyes!" Ichika said as he held his eyes in pain.

Charlotte took a moment to see what she had done.

"S-Sorry! But you just looked at them thoughtlessly! And with those lustful eyes no less…"

"Like I've been saying, that wasn't me!" cried Ichika. Why does he always have to be the punching bag to everything.

* * *

Leader fired her rifle at Chifuyu who moved and ran towards her while dodging the bullets fired. She was about to get up and do another strike until she stopped to see what Leader pulled out.

"Don't even try!" Leader said as she hit the ground. Chifuyu dodged it but it left her without her katanas.

"That's for me to decide." said Chifuyu as she appeared right below Leader, who was surprised.

With that, Chifuyu jumped forwards and upwards. Her movements were as fluid as flowing water, and she was was holding a wire in her hand.

Leader could not help but squeal as she was choked by the neck with the wire wrapped around her.

"You rely too much on the Absolute Defense System, so your reactions are delayed."

The next moment, the wire was about to be burned through by the Absolute Defense's energy shield, but Chifuyu had already positioned herself, and spun around to kick at Leader. The heavy IS armor, together with the weight of a person, was flying to the wall, but Chifuyu's face remained as calm as ever.

On the other hand, Leader felt troubled.

"Your physical abilities are to be reckoned with." Leader commented. "But…"

"You're mainly here for the unregistered unmanned—"

Leader had heard enough and tries to swipe at Chifuyu which was easily dodged. Anticipating this, Leader pulls out her spiked knuckles on left hand.

"It's over!"

Chifuyu did not expect this as she felt the blow to her stomach, followed by a small explosion. It sent her tumbling back on the floor.

For Leader, though while she managed to finally land a hit on the Brunhilde, something did not feel right.

"That was…"

She then saw the katana blades surrounding her, positioned in ways that would seem obvious to the naked eye but all of them were placed there on purpose. She then realized that the Brunhilde triggered her trump card and lured her into a trap of her own making.

Chifuyu sat up and saw that her trick had paid off. All that was needed was the final command.

"Obliteration Wave."

With that, the swords glowed blue and emitted electricity before they all finally went off and a massive explosion. The walls, floor, and ceiling were engulfed in a giant fireball explosion equivalent to a large amount of C4 going off. Believing her fight finished and done, Chifuyu stood up and casually walked away.

Little did she know though that her opponent was not finished.

"I'm not done yet!" cried Leader as she charged through the flames to Chifuyu, the Brunhilde shocked as she turned around.

* * *

"Well then, since you're already wearing the apron, why don't we start cooking something?" asked Ichika to Laura.

"What?" Laura asked.

Laura turned in fear just to see the fake Ichika holding a whip of sorts. He gave one strike that made that familiar BANG sound as Laura quivered a bit in fear. Ichika smirked as he approached Laura with the whip and held it against her tush.

Laura squealed and said, "Hey! Stop that, you fool!"

But her wife would not listen as he was having too much fun. He then wrapped his arm around his husband ( **not wife in this context** ) and held her tightly.

"Want to spend an entire day making love?" asked Ichika as he kissed Laura on the neck.

"I…I…I…" Laura said before she eventually fainted out of embarrassment.

The cupboard to the couple's right suddenly opened to see Ichika, somehow managing to fit in the tiny space it provided.

"You fiend! What did you do to Laura?" He demanded.

Ichika then grabs the whip and swats the fake away as he caught Laura. Her world dissipated as Laura was still asleep. When they returned, Laura was back in her IS Academy uniform and sleeping still.

"She looks just like Sleeping Beauty right now. How cute…"

Ichika then looked to his right and said, "All that leaves are Houki and Raiden."

Kanzashi appeared to Ichika and gave him some advice.

"Prepare yourself. Houki's version of Raiden is probably the strongest."

"Huh? Why?" asked Ichika.

Kanzashi sighed. "You thick idiot."

* * *

Chifuyu backs away as Leader advanced on her, trying to land another hit. She swipes from left to right but Chifuyu jumped into the air and kicked her in the face before disappearing into the dark room behind her.

Leader had no choice but to give pursuit as she blindly went in, unaware of what was on the other side. With only a combat knife, she had little choice but to proceed.

Once Leader entered, the shutters behind her closed.

"It's your turn, Maya!" Chifuyu said.

"Roger that!"

Lights were then turned on, as was her shock, for she came face to face with Yamada-sensei and her Rafale-Revive, equipped with four large miniguns pointed at her. What was supposed to be some ordinary room turned out to be a trap, meant to finish the fight once and for all.

"Quad Phalanx!" cried Leader as she attempts to activate her defense systems. But she was too late.

With a smile of glee, Yamada-sensei said, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!"

With that, all four gatling guns fired at Leader. With Yamada-sensei rendered immobile due to the sheer weight to control its recoil, she basically became a living artillery tank that fired bullets endlessly. With Leader taken care of, Chifuyu casually walks away back to her students.

* * *

Ichika ran down a pathway surrounded by canyon walls. What felt like running for nearly an hour was only five minutes though. He only prayed that his childhood friend was safe and not caught in a weird situation unlike the others. By the time he emerged out of the walkway and into the light, he saw Houki and Raiden together, the latter looking off to the horizon as the sun began to set.

"Houki! Raiden!" cried Ichika as he ran to them. But what was supposed to be a sigh of relief turned only into something ominous.

"Raiden…?" Houki asked.

"What's wrong, Anisama?" asked Ichika. "Something catch your eye?"

Raiden was silent for a brief moment before he said,

"She is here."

"What? Who's here?" asked Ichika.

He looked in the same direction as Raiden but he saw nothing but a gorge growing more and more distant in the setting sun's light, with the darkness spreading.

"I don't see anything. Are you sure you are not just imagining things?" asked Ichika.

"No. I can sense her." said Raiden as he clenched his left fist. "This intense rage…this mad thirst for destruction…I know of only one person that gives off an aura such as this."

Raiden then concluded,

"The pilot of the IS Black Knight. Madoka Orimura is coming."

"Wha—" Ichika exclaimed as he felt a cold bead of sweat trickle down his cheek. His sister had returned and was inside the Network. Why she is inside Houki's mind he does not know.

"I will hold her off here." said Raiden. "I want you two to get out of here as quickly as you can."

"Wha—" Houki gasped.

"Don't be an idiot." Ichika said. "We can take her on together!"

"No." Raiden refused. "Madoka is someone who cannot be stopped by pure force. She wants me, An-chan. This fight must be mine alone."

"But why?" asked Ichika.

"She has already released her true power within the Network, a power eerily similar to mine. Of the three of us, I alone stand a chance to defeat her."

"All the more reason for us to lend you our aid…" Houki said.

"No. If you aid me now, you will only hold me back."

Houki was shocked. To hear such words from Raiden shook her completely as she steps back in fear. But being stubborn as she is, she would not want to leave her beloved lion behind, not after what she did in Kyoto.

"I-I will stay here, Raiden." Houki exclaimed.

"Houki…" Raiden said as he turned around and met her eyes.

"I-I should be fine if I stay far enough behind to simply watch over you. So please—"

"What troubles you, Houki?" asked Raiden. "It is unlike you to ask for something so directly like this?"

"But…" Houki said in fear as her hands shook and her head down, with the shadows of her hair covering her eyes. "You are still injured, Raiden. Yet you—"

"There is no need for concern." Raiden interrupted calmly. "Houki, could it be that you truly believe I might lose?"

"No, I would never suggest such a thing!" Houki answered back. "There is no way that you could lose—"

"That is correct." interrupted Raiden. "I do not lose a fight, not until my last breath. So, Houki, I want you to rest easy and await my return."

"But…"

Houki's mind remains steadfast as her worries overcame her. She did not want to leave Raiden again and simply let death take him once again. Her face turns pale due to her fear yet she knew that against Madoka, only Raiden could stop her. Tears stream down her face, tears she could no longer hold back.

"Raiden…"

Houki tries to keep close to Raiden as she hugs him, but he gently places his hand on her head, looking to Ichika.

"Ichika, I leave the rest to you. Get out of here first, and await my return. I am undoubtedly biased, but the students' safety and well-being come first over my own. We cannot let an event like this be repeated."

"Okay." said Ichika after a moment's hesitation. "But you better come back to us. Tatenashi told me to save you after all."

"…And please ensure that Houki does not linger overlong."

"I will. Leave it to me." Ichika proclaimed proudly.

Ichika then grabs Houki's hand and tries to drag her back but the girl thrashes and tries to let go.

"L-Let me go! Unhand me! Where are you touching, you idiot?!"

By the time Houki and Ichika were away, Raiden moved forward to the area where he could sense Madoka. And speaking of her, Madoka emerged from behind a faraway cliff in her IS. She landed in front of Raiden from a distance before she deactivated her IS into its standby form as she looked to see her opponent before her.

Hatred and anger coursed through Madoka but she kept it contained and under control.

( **Author's note** : Insert Insert Soundtrack: _AQUAPLUS – Utawarerumono Itsuwari no Kamen Game and Anime Original Soundtrack Vol. 2 - Rakujitsu no Toki)_ ( **Look it up on iTunes** **or YouTube Utawarerumono Mask of Deception OST - Sunset under the Youtuber Weiss** )

"Raiden…" said Madoka as she came face to face with her rival. "You dared to show me mercy."

Raiden remained silent.

"You would have known easily. You could see that I still drew breath." Madoka continued. "Yet you chose to leave me, without delivering the killing blow…"

Again, Raiden remained silent. It was hard to tell behind the blindfold if his eyes were closed or not, as if he regretted what he did to Madoka, whatever it was.

"I see. So it is true…" Madoka realized. "You sully my integrity as a warrior, and force immortal shame upon me. Unforgivable…That is unforgivable! You shall pay for your mockery with your head!"

Raiden then asked one question. "So you would value your morality over your life?"

Madoka immediately answered, "This power was granted to me by the primal origin. Defeat is not an option. My power cannot be tainted so! The day I lie defeated is the day my limbs are torn from my body, and my very soul obliterated! And you will never convince me otherwise, partner!"

Raiden sighed quietly and said, "…Then I must apologize for having tainted your honor. It was my own weakness that stayed my hand. And it is my weakness that led to this confrontation today."

With that, Raiden brings his hand up to his face and grasps it, with Madoka doing the same.

"However…" Raiden said. "I will not let you take this head of mine, partner."

"Then so be it." Madoka said.

The two of them then gave their chants at the same time and spoke in the same words.

( **Author's note** : Insert Insert Soundtrack: _AQUAPLUS – Utawarerumono Itsuwari no Kamen Game and Anime Original Soundtrack Vol. 2 - Hadou Wo Yukumono_ ) ( **Look it up on iTunes** **or YouTube Utawarerumono Mask of Deception OST - He who Conquers under the Youtuber Weiss** )

" _ **Akuruka! Become the door, and open the path to the primal origin!"**_

With those words, an aura of energy surrounded the two of them separately as their IS were activated and it sent them levitating in the air. In a flash of light, both figures emerged but in monstrous forms of their IS, a fusion of flesh and metal, that reflected their inner creatures. The metal decorated their exoskeletons on their arms, legs, shoulders, wings, parts of their chest, and parts of their head.

Raiden's was the same as in Kyoto as it was white all over, its spikes on its head were blue and glowed with electricity. The wings had the same metallic feathers and demonic exoskeleton as was the tail with the sharp metal bat-wing like weapon on the end, which landed with a thud every time it dropped to the ground, creating a small yet audible thunder every time. The eyes glowed blue with a gentle glow instead of the usual purple fiery mascara. Its glow was bright enough that even people from far away, maybe a mile or two, could see it. The size of the IS was the same as last time, tall and terrifying than the tallest and strongest of all IS. ( **Author's note** : _Think of Griever from FFVIII but in blue and white and not black and red._ )

Madoka's form was different. While still retaining the colors of the Black Knight, the wings mostly black and red with a yellow outline decorated around the red shade of the areas. Six yellow horns sprouted from the head, the one in the middle being the largest and longest, and its eyes were pure blood red. The body was insect-like yet it retained the same mechanical form as Lion Heart in that it was a machine despite it being a titanic monster of some sort. Spiked shoulders emerged as did the arms, along with a tail. The size was the same as Raiden's. ( **Author's note** : _Think of Battra but in a more humanoid and mechanical form_ )

It was clear to both that this was a battle of Akuruturuka.

" **One shall stand…** " cried Raiden.

" **And one shall fall!** " cried Madoka.

With those last few words spoken, Raiden and Madoka gave off their monstrous roars as Madoka was surrounded by an aura of fiery energy that was purple, with Raiden surrounded by a light aura of energy that rose around his form. The sky turned gray as it looked like the storm had approached at last. Lightning cackled around the area, striking at the rock faces near their feet as they remain unfazed.

Both combatants charged in and met each other's first strike with a punch that made contact with both of their fists. The entire area was engulfed in a battle that looked like the apocalypse had begun.

* * *

 **MEANWHILE…**

"We're almost there." Ichika said. But Houki wasn't listening as she gazed back towards where she once was.

Her mind was still conflicted with Raiden. To leave him alone just like that to fight a fight of someone of his past just to get her to escape? To let him die at the hands of his old enemy as she left him, knowing that she may never see him again? To once again lose the chance to confess her feelings for him?

A flurry of emotions ran through her. Anger and fear being the most out of them all. She was giving off the aura of 'Don't touch me. Don't talk to me.' As she was continuously being led by Ichika, her hand still held by his.

By the time the two made it to the door, Ichika sighed with a relief.

"Whew. We've made it. Kanzashi should be able to—"

Ichika then turned to Houki, who was still looking at the darkness.

Then, in a move that surprised Ichika, Houki takes a short breath and lets go of his hand, rushing back. She instantly bolts straight down the path back to where they came from, Right back to Raiden.

"Wh—Are you kidding me?! Houki!" Ichika cried as he ran after her.

Both ran back as Houki saw, with wide-opened eyes and a pale face, the two titanic machines battling to the death. A purple beam from Madoka was on its course to Houki but Ichika managed to get her out in time and hide behind a rock.

The catch was clumsy though as Ichika was on top of Houki.

"Ah!? G-Get off me!" cried Houki as she pushed Ichika off.

She continued her rant as tears poured down her eyes. "I-I have to help Raiden! I need him by my side! I have to help him!"

"Didn't you hear Raiden!?" argued Ichika. "He said we'd just get in the way."

"That's not—" Houki said as she bit her lip in frustration. "I know…I know I cannot be of any help in this…I know that I would not be able to do anything, even if I was there…"

"Then—"

"But I am sick of it!" Houki screamed. "I've never felt this worried for him, not even since Kyoto. I knew and believed that he would always return, no matter what. But—But to leave him to battle Madoka to the point where he dies?! And on top of that, he is…still gravely injured from Kyoto."

"Houki…" said Ichika calmly. "I understand how you feel, but if we go back, we're just going to get in his way."

"I know that. That is why—That is why I wished to at least watch over him as he fights…Would you…not even allow me that…?"

Ichika wanted to tell her the truth but if he did, she'd go berserk if he outright denied her. One thing was for certain, Raiden was not going to be happy.

With a sigh, Ichika says, "Fine. If you promise to stay at a safe distance away and only watch. Promise?"

"Huh…?"

"Can you promise me that? For Raiden's sake?"

Houki stuttered. "Y-Yes, I promise, I will do so!"

"Okay. And remember, a safe distance. Make sure not to make any sounds."

* * *

 **BACK AT THE BATTLE…**

Raiden delivered a few powerful punches before going in for a flurry. Madoka countered back, meeting a few punches with Raiden before she gave a few swings to the lion's face.

"Raiden!" cried Houki.

Ichika, witnessing this, could only think of the situation in his head.

" _Urgh…Hold on…! This has to be some kind of joke. What the hell is this force!? I never imagined it'd be this strong…And isn't this Houki's mind?"_

Ichika continued to watch the two titanic machines go all out as they trade punch for punch.

" _Raiden's right. No normal person would be able to force their way past that. I thought I understood, but I had no idea what it would really be like…"_

Madoka swung a downward punch and gave an uppercut before she delivered a few more swift ones to Raiden, each punch landing a hit on him. Raiden countered the punches with his own and countered his flurry right back at her.

Both combatants growled, trying to focus in on their fight and increasing their power levels. Right now though, they were evenly matched.

" **Such weakness!** " cried Madoka as she continued her fight before she gave a few more and ends it with an uppercut to Raiden's chin.

"Raiden…" cried Houki as she watched in fear.

" _Anisama's being overpowered…"_ thought Ichika. _"His injuries from Kyoto must not have been healed completely. Fighting in that state was far more than he could take. Anisama, this better not be some martyr thing just to buy us time…"_

Ichika continued his train of thought. _"Anisama, if you continued on breaking the promise we made—No, this is Raiden we're talking about. He's probably waiting for the perfect chance to strike. He just needs that one hit to end this…"_

Madoka continued her onslaught with two powerful punches before delivering a swift fury which staggered Raiden backwards slowly but effectively.

" **Is that all, Raiden?** " asked Madoka. " **Would you have me believe your wounds are holding you back?** "

Madoka delivered one swift blow to Raiden's chest.

" **Guh…** "

" **This is war.** " Madoka continued. " **And one can never stand in war unscathed. Rise, Raiden. Our duel to the death has just begun!** "

It was in that moment that Raiden gave a hard headbutt to Madoka's face, followed by a few fast and powerful punches to her before going in for her chest. Each attack was more powerful than the last, unlike the ones that were just mere slivers of his power. Raiden needed to end this fight immediately without dying in the process.

" **Gah!?** " Madoka grunted as she was surprised to such power being hit upon her.

" **HAAAAAAAHHHHH!** "

Raiden delivers more as Madoka soon began to smirk with pride and exhilaration.

" **Yes, this is it! This is what I hungered for!** "

One punch from both of them was met, sending a shockwave across the battlefield followed by another.

" **Akuruka…** " Raiden cried. " **I seek even more! Devour my soul and in return, grant me the power to destroy my enemies and to tear the heavens and hells asunder!** "

With those words spoke, Raiden's form emitted a dim glow of power that increased, blinding Madoka temporarily to her confusion.

" **Ghh…Ngah…?** "

" **Fall, Madoka!** "

A flurry of powerful punches was delivered onto Madoka who tried to stand her ground. She could not block every single one coming at her, much to her annoyance.

" **Ngh…GAAAAAAAAHHHH!** "

She then matched Raiden's powerful attacks with her own, much to the lion's shock. She had managed to catch one of his own punches and hold it tight.

" **Rgh!? Nngh…!** "

" **Good…** " Madoka said as she squeezed the hand that came to her. She then let it go before delivering a full-blown flurry of punches, followed by a point-blank eye beam from her eyes, that Raiden was clearly no match against.

" **But not good enough!** " She screamed as the area shook. " **You are weak! Weak! Weak! Weak! Weak!** "

Raiden grunted in pain from her flurry and staggered back from her eye beam.

" **Gah…Rrgh…** "

She then called out, " **Power! Akuruka, give me power! Devour my soul, and grant me in return power!** "

Having upped up her game and becoming slightly more powerful than Raiden, Madoka delivers each blow to the lion more devastating than the last, more powerful than what Raiden had showed.

One final strike ended with an explosion to Raiden's chest as it sent him flying to the backside of the mountain.

" **Gaah—** "

Houki's face became pale as she saw Raiden exhausted and beaten. "Oh…no…Raiden…Raiden…"

Madoka approached her fallen foe and said, " **This is the end, Raiden. You were the one person I saw as my equal…I will leave them no corpse to shamelessly flaunt and defile.** "

With that, Madoka raised her right hand to the sky as purple fiery ball emerged from her hand.

" **I grant you this one mercy. Return to the dust from whence you came…partner!** "

Madoka then swings from left to right as she unleashed her fireball. What she didn't count upon was that Raiden was quite well aware and planned something in return. A final strike to end it all.

Narrowly dodging the fatal attack, Raiden clenched his right hand into a ball of blue light. As both combatants prepared their final strike, the end seemed in sight.

But then…

"Raiden!" cried Houki.

Time seemed to have stopped in its tracks for a very brief moment as Madoka, distracted slightly by Houki, unleashed her attack as Raiden dodged it. But his final strike missed Madoka completely, all because of Houki's voice that startled them both, disturbing them in the end. Raiden's attack in the form of one long beam that came from the punch simply destroyed some entire mountain miles away behind Madoka.

Raiden gasped in pure shock as he saw his attack missed. And he knew exactly why.

Houki too was in shock as she saw that she had unintentionally screwed up Raiden's chance to end the fight.

"Ah…hh…?"

"Houki…" Ichika asked in shock with wide eyes. "What…have you…done?"

Madoka looked to her left and saw the source of it all.

" **You…** "

Houki gasped at the voice and sight of the black-winged moth monster as she felt herself sit backwards and become immobile, clearly paralyzed with fear. Her heart pounded harder and faster than normal and her shaking became intense.

" **You…dare…** " said Madoka. " **You dare…** "

"Houki, RUN!" cried Ichika but words did not meet the paralyzed Houki at all.

" **You dare violate this duel between us.** " said Madoka as she conjured up the same fatal attack she had intended for Raiden. However, she charged it up with more power than usual, filling it with her rage as she wanted to end Houki's life.

" **Accursed...child! RRRRRRAAAAAAAAGH!** "

Madoka unleashed the purple fireball straight at Houki, who remains unmoved by what was coming towards her.

"Ah…ah…Rai…den…I am so…sorry…"

"Houki!"

Ichika rushes to her aid and holds her to shield her, much like how Raiden did with him back at Kyoto. The fireball rushes closer and closer to them both. The end was near as they embrace the attack coming closer and closer to them.

The sound of metal ruptured through the air as the fireball went through something. Standing in front of them was Raiden, with a hole in his chest.

"Rai…den…" said Ichika as he looked shocked for what just happened.

"Raiden?" asked Houki, unable to understand what had just happened.

" **Ghhk…** " Raiden cried in pain as he spews blood from his mouth that landed on the ground.

"R-Raiden…NOOOOOO!" cried Houki, seeing as just how Raiden sacrificed himself.

But what was once despair soon turned into a miracle as a light emitted from Raiden. And amazingly, the wound made through his chest began to heal up as the machine parts attached itself back together and the hole closed up.

"What is—" asked Ichika. "His wounds…are healing…?"

"Amazing…" commented Houki.

Raiden then gave a mighty roar as he feels a surge of power course through him.

" **RRRGH…RRRAAAAAAAHH!** "

Raiden then speaks, " **The gate…The gate to the origin…Guide me…Guide me to the furthest depth of your power!** "

Raiden then roared once last time as the final surge of power courses through him.

" **HAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!** "

" **Grahh!** " Madoka screamed as Raiden charged forward after her and delivers his fast, ongoing attacks of pure power and resolve that not even Madoka could match.

" **Impossible.** " said Madoka. " **How can you even move after such a blow…!? How…How are you still alive…?!** "

Raiden ignores her completely and continued charging up power and continuing his assault on his old and hated rival.

" **HAAAAAAAHHHH…HRRRRAAAAGH!** "

" **Guh…! NNNGGHH! Impossible…This is impossible…You overpower me…? How…Where did you find this strength?** "

Realization soon dawns onto Madoka. " **No…Raiden…You have—** "

" **MADOOKKAAAA!** "

With one final strike charging in his right hand, Raiden delivers a final fatal attack to Madoka's chest in which the beam pillar from his fist goes straight through her, making a hole in her chest. Madoka stood in shock, seeing the wound open before her before she staggered backwards.

" **Ghkhh…I have…I have lost…? No, it…it cannot be over. I must never be…defeated…Why…Why does my body…not move…? I can still…** "

Staggering further back onto the edge of the cliff as it cracks, Madoka looked at the eyes of her old foe once more.

" **Rai…den…** "

The cliff then cracks and brings her plummeting down into the abyss below her as she screamed out his name.

" **Raaaiiiddeeennn!** "

* * *

The battle was finally over. A blue light shone over Raiden's form as his titanic form dissipates and returns to his normal body. He looked completely unscathed, like there was nothing wrong with him. Houki and Ichika saw him stare over the edge from where Madoka fell before he turns around with a smile, a smile that looked like he was completely alright.

( **Author's note** : Insert Insert Soundtrack: _AQUAPLUS – Utawarerumono Itsuwari no Kamen Game and Anime Original Soundtrack Vol. 2 - Kimigatame Gikaben_ ) ( **Look it up on iTunes** **or YouTube Utawarerumono Mask of Deception OST - Kimigatame -For you- (Instrumental)** **under the Youtuber Weiss** )

Raiden tries to move forward but he stumbled and fell to his knees, prompting Houki and Raiden to come to his aid. But as they got closer, they saw what was happening to Raiden in reality.

What looked like he was fine from a distant was in reality a false vision. They saw Raiden's body shedding some sort of white dust that was coming off of him. Moving him over to a rock for him to lay back and relax, they could only look in despair to see what was happening right in front of their eyes.

"Raiden! Ah-h—" Houki could only look on in shock as she saw his body dissipate. This could not be happening to her. She did not want to see this be a reality. Not now.

"Anisama?" asked Ichika.

"Ichi…ka…" Raiden said weakly.

"No, don't talk. You're—You're injured…"

But Raiden continued with this one saying.

"I leave everything…including Houki, to you. Please…look after her for me."

"Wha-?" Ichika could look only in shock. Houki, with tears rolling down her face, came up to see Raiden face to face, at least one more time before he disappeared.

"No…it cannot be…Raiden, please…This is not…"

Raiden cups her cheek gently and slightly chuckles, "Heh. Please, do not cry…Houki. This is the fate that awaits me. But my only regret…was not telling you how much I love you."

"No…No…!"

Raiden looked up to Ichika with a smile and says,

"…I am counting on you…An-chan. Tell Chifuyu…I am sorry."

And with those words said, Raiden's eyes close as his body dissolves and dissipates away into white dust as the wind gently scatters them away. Ichika is left in shock with his expression that what had just happened was not real.

But Houki, silent for a moment, screamed as a mountain of tears poured from her eyes.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! No! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Raiden! Raiden, please...! AAAAAAHHHHH!"

"Ani…sama…"

Before both of them knew it, they found their world slowly crumbling away as the darkness swallowed them whole.

* * *

Ichika woke up from the machine surrounded by his friends who were relieved to see him alive. As he woke though, he saw Houki still inside the machine. At least until she woke up and immediately sprang out before she collapsed to the floor on all fours.

Fear and despair gripped Houki tightly as the memories of what she saw still lingered in her mind. Though she had been freed from the Core Network, her nightmare took an effect on her psyche, one that even made the gang fearful of what was happening to her.

With her eyes wide with petrifying fear, Houki gripped her head as she saw flashbacks of the Akuruturuka battle, Raiden's injuries, and his untimely death. All she saw of him was a smile before he dissipated into salt.

She then saw the monstrous Akuruturuka form of Madoka and how it stared right back at her.

Houki screamed out loud in sorrow as tears flowed continuously from her eyes.

"Go away, go away, go away, GO AWAY!"

"Houki!" cried everyone as they try to come to her aid.

Houki initially tried to fight them off as they touched her, instinctually afraid that it was the Akuruturuka monster that frightened her. She tried to scoot away but she was restrained by her friends as Charlotte grabbed a hold of her face gently yet firmly.

"Houki, it was just a dream!" cried Charlotte.

"NO!" Houki screamed in denial. "I saw him…I saw him DIE! He can't be dead!"

"He isn't dead, Houki." said Cecilia. "He's still alive. Look."

Houki looked at the stasis pod that held Raiden. But it did not convince her in the slightest.

"That cannot be. I saw him die! He cannot be dead!"

Ichika soon realized that Raiden was indeed not dead, that the one in Houki's mind was supposedly the real one yet it was merely an illusion. He looked over to the cryotube and understood that it was still functional, meaning that Raiden was still alive. Houki would not be convinced though given of how he knows her stubborn nature all too well.

"Houki." Ichika caught a tearful Houki's attention. "Come this way."

Ichika gently motions Houki to come over to the stasis pod before he wipes away the protective glass. Houki saw Raiden's sleeping face, still in cryosleep, and she tried to reach out for it but all she felt was the cold, hard glass protecting him. She then looked at the monitors that analyzed his heartbeat, breathing, blood pressure, brainwave activity, and oxygen levels. They were all normal.

"But…why hasn't he woken up?" asked Houki.

"We've been wondering that as well." agreed Rin.

"Everything seems normal on the system." commented Laura. "No sign of any abnormality or malfunction in the pod."

"Yet we already have a problem." said Chifuyu as she entered into the room with Kanzashi.

"Orimura-sensei?" asked Cecilia.

"What's going on? Why isn't Raiden out of the system?" asked Charlotte.

"I had ordered Kanzashi to try to eject Raiden from the system, even overriding commands. But all we are getting is this message. Sarashiki."

Kanzashi pulled up a Morse code message on a holographic screen for all to see.

-.. - - - / -. - - - - / -.. .. ... - ..- .-. -... / - - -.- - / ..-. .- - ... . .-. .- - - -. ... / ... .-.. . . .- -. .-.-.-

"To the untrained eye, it may seem like a lot of dots and dashes, but for an expert, once it is deciphered, it read this message."

The Morse code was deciphered into letters which was read in six words.

 **DO NOT DISTURB MY FATHER'S SLEEP!**

It soon became clear to one thing and one thing only for everyone in the room.

Raiden was trapped inside the IS Core Network and has been so...for one and a half months.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : There will be a Part 2 to this story. World Purge is far from over.


	29. Chapter 28: World Purge-hen (PART 2)

**CHAPTER 28**

Two months have already passed since Ichika's rescue of the girls. While everyone had recovered, Tatenashi included considering of her physical wounds, Houki's condition was only somewhat. She still suffered hallucinations from time to time of what she had seen and visited Raiden's stasis pod every day after school to check on him. There had been no change to his condition ever since the discovery of being trapped. Houki desperately wanted to get back into the Network and rescue him but was ordered firmly by Chifuyu not to given of the amount of time she and the girls spent in their idealized world.

Houki was left alone in the infirmary and in hospital clothing. While physically she was fine, her mental state was questionable but not irrecoverable. From time to time, she kept having nightmares of either Madoka's Akuruturuka starting at her or of Raiden turning to salt in his last moments.

Although what was shown to her was nothing more than an illusion and that the Raiden she saw was just a figment of her imagination, illusions can sometimes be real. She would wake up with sweat over her and be thirsty and hot in her clothes. Sometimes, her heart rate and blood pressure would sky-rocket if she suffered another hallucination, but the doctors and nurses were there to quell it. She would get visits from her friends during these past two months and she'd always ask of Raiden's condition despite getting the same answer each time.

Houki looked out of the window of the infirmary by her bed as she watched the sunset illuminate the sky. She could only think of Raiden as it had been the only thing she'd think of.

( **Author's note** : Insert Soundtrack: _AQUAPLUS – Utawarerumono Itsuwari no Kamen Game and Anime Original Soundtrack Vol. 1 – Itsuwari no Kamen_ ) ( **Look it up on iTunes or** **YouTube Utawarerumono Mask of Deception OST - Mask of Deception under the Youtuber Weiss** )

"Raiden… why?" Houki asked, trying to envision the image of her lion. "Why do you always do this? You always push yourself beyond limits, getting hurt in the process. You claim to come back but the look on your face when you fight says the opposite. So why? Why must you make me worry and suffer so much for you? Why does my heart ache every time you get hurt?"

Once more did the tears flow down her eyes as she gripped the blanket.

"I can't…understand it." She said weakly.

She knew Raiden was someone who was willing to sacrifice, but to do so recklessly and make a promise to come out of it only to break it in the end is just wrong in her mind. A lot of people would agree to that, even Chifuyu.

Feeling thirsty, Houki grabs some water and gently sips it as she then wipes away her tears. Feeling a bit tired than usual, she lies back and tries to get some sleep, her head turned away from the sun that had just now gone down.

She had a dream in her mind lately over and over for every sleep she had in the time of her recovery. A dream that was once one of confusion but now filled with clarity. What she feared was a repeat of the trauma she endured was actually something she never imagined would happen.

"Wha…Where am I?" Houki asked herself.

In that dream, she saw herself on a field of plain grass. The wind then gently blows on her as she covers herself before the sakura trees, with their petals scattering all over. She walks down a pathway covered in them.

As Houki walks, she spots a white fox with crimson orange markings across its body. Staring at her eye to eye, the fox continues on the path and runs as Houki follows, somehow hearing the fox's call.

The fox then leads her to a shrine. Her family's shrine, which was a surprise to see it in her dreams. But why would the vixen lead her to her shrine? There was nothing special about the shrine anyway so why be lead back? That answer would come when the fox was sitting underneath the entrance.

Underneath the tori gate lied something wrapped in swaddling cloth to which the fox sat behind it. It flipped the cloth over to reveal the sleeping face of a baby, a female.

Houki was confused. Why would a baby be under her shrine? It had black hair and two blue eyes, like hers.

The fox motioned Houki to pick up the baby. When she did, the baby's eyes woke and looked at Houki. Then, surprisingly enough, the baby had a smile on her face as she reached her tiny arms out to Houki.

Houki then felt a presence behind her as she turned to see Raiden with a smile. Coming next to her side, Raiden looked as the baby was filled with joy and then back to Houki, still with her shocked expression.

"R-Raiden?" asked Houki.

"This is…" Raiden said. "My gift to you. Our gift."

Houki looks back to the child and then understands. Then, a smile creeps on her face as tears of joy begin to form in her eyes. She finally understood what this dream was. It was her desire, it was her hope, the one thing she wants more than anything of this world from Raiden. It was not the IS she gained from her sister. It was not just wanting to become Raiden's beloved. It was something she wanted, something she was no longer afraid or embarrassed of having.

A family.

The dream then ended with a flash of white light.

Houki wakes up as she turns around to see that it was the middle of the night. The stars were out and only a few clouds decorated the sky. But it was a beautiful night as Houki looked to see a few sakura petals flow by her window gently. Getting out of her uncomfortable hospital bed, Houki looked down to see one part of the Academy that was still on, the park that showed the cherry blossom forest in all of its beauty.

She then heard a ringing sound, like that of a small bell, as for a brief moment, she saw a white fox with orange markings on its fur run across the courtyard but not before it caught Houki's eyes as it disappeared into the forest. Houki then softly and slowly let out a smile, her fire of hope now rekindled.

"Right…sitting here in the infirmary will not bring Raiden back, nor will questioning and wondering about Raiden's sacrificial attitude." Houki then clenches her right fist in determination. "From here on out, I am going to be there for Raiden. I may not be as powerful as him, but it is all the more reason that I want to rescue him. I cannot give up."

* * *

 **NEXT MORNING, ON THE ROOFTOP…**

All the girls, except for Houki, and Ichika were together on the rooftop, having lunch together. But the atmosphere was quiet and somber. Two people were missing from the scene: one in the infirmary recovering and the other sleeping inside a cryostasis tube, trapped inside the IS Core Network.

But Tatenashi assured them that Raiden would not want to see them all sulking, something Charlotte agrees with. After all, the French girl knows that for Raiden, the last thing he wants to see is a sad smile coming from his friends. And Houki would agree for that as well.

"My wife, I must insist that you taste this!" Laura said as she thrusted a piece of octopus to Ichika, which for some reason was still moving around.

"Laura, what are you doing?" Cecilia asked.

"Feeding him something better than whatever you brought along." The German girl said as she saw Cecilia bring sandwiches as usual. Who knows what else she put in those sandwiches this time?

"Man, today is so hot…and humid too." Ichika said as he tried to get some cool air in his shirt. "And having to wear these long-sleeved uniforms in the summer makes it even worse…"

Rin chuckles for a bit, with a mix of pride in her voice. "You always take things so lightly. Look at me, I already considered this kind of heat when I made my uniform!"

"What do you mean by that?" asked Kanzashi.

"Something like this!" Rin exclaimed as she pulled her arms out of her uniform, exposing her beautiful skin.

"Ooh, Rin, your skin is so smooth." commented Charlotte as she looked over it.

"Well, I do take care of it properly." said Rin.

"Oh, let me see." Ichika said as he reached his hand out. Rin shrieked though and pulled her hands back.

"H-Hey. Why are you suddenly touching me! Ichika, you pervert!"

"Huh?" asked the confused boy.

"You should know people have to prepare their hearts for things like that!"

"S-Sorry." But that apology was pointless as Ichika felt a whack on the head by Tatenashi's fan, whom she flipped it open that said PERVERT.

"Unbelievable, Ichika. You really don't know about the feelings of the girls, don't you? Has Raiden even taught you anything?"

"Wh-What?" asked the confused boy. Many of the girls gave similar frowns of disapproval to the Byakushiki pilot.

"Ichika, you pervert!" Charlotte said.

"How shameful of my wife to do something so lewd." Laura disapproved.

"I-Ichika-san? Wh-What do you think you are doing?!" Cecilia demanded.

Kanzashi was quiet yet she hid an embarrassing look, though she did condemn Ichika's inadvertent intent.

Everyone then had a good laugh.

"How long has it been…Since we've laughed together like this…" asked Cecilia as she sighed a little.

"Too long if you ask me." said Charlotte as she relaxed back.

"Indeed. We haven't had a good time like this since Kyoto." said Kanzashi.

"It's what he would've wanted. For all of us." said Rin.

"I still don't get it though." Ichika said, making everyone's eyes turn to him. His head was strangely lowered as his eyes looked to the ground and his hair covered them.

His voice and attitude were a bit melancholic but for a logical reason.

"Why is Raiden always like this?" He asked. "Why does he always sacrifice himself and end up getting hurt in the process? I understand the need to protect someone, but I sometimes wonder why it is…that he always leaves the people behind?"

"I may have a theory as to why he is like this." Laura speaks up.

"Laura?" asked Ichika. Laura had set down her tea before explaining.

"Both the lieutenant and I have been in conversations here and there, asking each other what it means to be a soldier. Soldiers are meant to obey orders, even if that order goes against what the right thing to do is. At least, that is what I thought of initially."

Laura has a brief flashback of her meeting with Raiden when they were testing out weapons together, mainly in there is although the two have been to the shooting range before at times.

"But he told me that a soldier is meant to protect and defend the people he cares for, never to attack out of some cause, good or bad. He told me that without sacrifice, there is no victory. And that no matter how big the cost, it is a sacrifice worth making. I thought he was just applying it to the world at large, but he was really speaking about himself. We have seen him fight battles here and there that have often left him hospitalized, yet he doesn't really seem to care for what happens to him so long as we live. I guess the motive of selfless sacrifice without being reckless runs deep within him."

Laura sips her tea for a brief break before she concludes her thought.

"In hindsight, I believe that the reason he does this is so that we can have a brighter future ahead of us while he remains in the darkness, forever fighting that which he fought alone for so long."

"So, to sum it up…" Tatenashi finished. "He's willing to give himself up, because he feels his time is over."

The atmosphere was silent once again. Everyone knew that Raiden was always one to take risks, even when considering the consequences which are mostly injuries that leave him hospitalized. But for his reason for doing such things, however reckless, were widely believed to protect those he cared for. But half-truths are easy to believe and once combined with the other half-truth, the real reason lies within, which is usually a dark one. However logical it is though and however truthful it is, the truth can hurt.

"We have to rescue him." A voice said to them from behind. Everyone turned around to see Houki, in a happy mood for some reason. Happy, determined, and hopeful.

"HOUKI?!" Everyone cried out.

Houki came over to everyone and sat down with her Bento box in her lap. She seemed relax and was fully recovered from her traumatic experience.

"I know we are on orders to standby but sitting here doing nothing won't bring Raiden back. We have to get back in and rescue him."

"Houki? Are you all right?" Ichika asked, concerned for his childhood friend.

"I'm fine, Ichika." Houki said. "I've fully recovered."

"How? Last we check, your condition was serious." exclaimed Laura.

"You were making progress recovery, but it was slow as well." noted Charlotte.

Houki did not know how to explain it exactly. The thought of new determination and intent to rescue Raiden just came up in her mind and in that moment, her worries were swept away. It was like a gentle wave from the ocean cleansed her of the dirt and sweat she would get from training in Kendo.

But time would have to wait as the communications link soon popped up in everyone's left ear as they heard Chifuyu's voice over the comm.

"All of you, come back down to the bunker. We may have found something."

* * *

Once the girls and Ichika proceeded to meet back at the underground room, they saw Chifuyu and another person with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing her usual Italian suit and turquoise necklace, looking over the data.

"We're here, Orimura-sensei." said Tatenashi.

"Who's the woman?" asked Rin.

"She looks familiar." commented Cecilia.

"That's because you've only seen me from a distance." said the woman as she turned around. "Miriam Walker. American Central Intelligence Agency. And legal guardian of Raiden Hataru and his supervisor."

"CIA?" asked Laura. "What do the Americans want?"

"Agent Walker came here of her own will. She heard what had happened." explained Chifuyu. "We were just explaining to her everything."

"Is it about Raiden?" asked Houki.

Even though everyone knew this was about the blind pilot, they needed to hear the details. On orders of Chifuyu, Kanzashi pulls up life signs of Raiden and his IS Lion Heart. While most of his life signs were normal, the energy readings of his IS and his brainwave activity were not.

"The situation has become grimmer than we initially feared." Chifuyu explained. "When we were analyzing the Morse code message to figure out who it was that sent it, we came up with nothing. That is until Miriam pulled up something."

Miriam stepped forward and pulled up her own set of data. "We've analyzed the data back at HQ and from what we can conclude, this Morse code message was not sent by a physical person."

"What do you mean?" asked Ichika.

"It was sent by an artificial intelligence shell program that has awoken itself around the IS core of Lion Heart. Something that was installed to activate should the core reach a certain level of self-awareness. Something that is also keeping Raiden inside the Network."

"So, what you are saying is…" said Cecilia.

"Is that some AI that calls Raiden its father is keeping him inside?" asked Houki.

"Correct." confirmed Miriam.

The room was silent. Now everyone understands that for an artificial intelligence, it had to be pretty evolved beyond normal human understanding of AI and quite powerful to keep someone like Raiden inside the Network. And for one and a half months to say the least.

"We also received another Morse code message earlier today. Kanzashi, pull it up on screen." ordered Chifuyu. Once again, it was shown in dots and lines in the form of Morse code.

.- -. .-.. . .- ... . .-.-.- .-.-.- .-.-.- ... .- ...- . / - - -.- - / ... - - - -. .-.-.- / ..-. .-. - - - - - / ... .. ... / - - - .- - -. / -.. .- .-. -.- -. . ... ... .-.-.-

Once translated, it read this message.

 **PLEASE…SAVE MY SON. FROM HIS OWN DARKNESS.**

Silence only followed throughout the room. Another Morse code message. The first one spoke of Raiden as a father and now this one speaks of him as a son.

"What in the-?" Rin was the first to speak after that moment of silence.

"The first message was easy to decipher who sent it but this one remains totally anonymous to us." said Miriam.

"Which is where you all come in." said Chifuyu. "You will dive back into the Network, find the source of this message, and find Raiden. He's been in there for too long, so it's time to eject him out, even if the AI refuses to let him go."

"But, Orimura-sensei, there's not enough room for all of us to enter into the Network." said Cecilia.

"Actually, there is." said Miriam as she pressed a few keys on the holographic keyboard that soon revealed another stasis pod just like Raiden's. Everyone was surprised to see one more hiding beneath the floor as it rose and stood upright.

"One more stasis pod designed like the one Raiden is in. Once you are in cryostasis, your mind will jump straight to the Network."

"I'll take the pod." said Tatenashi. "I know its functions in and out and the nanomachines in my IS should be able to take the subzero temperatures."

"Tatenashi? Are you sure?" asked Ichika in concern as usual.

"I'll be all right. I just want to get Raiden out of there." Tatenashi was firm on her decision, which was enough for everyone's morale to be bolstered up to execute a mission to rescue Raiden.

"Kanzashi will be monitoring your progress while you are inside the Network." said Chifuyu. "She will open for you what is called a Groundbridge, an experimental portal within the Network that allows one to transport themselves inside and out within the Network. You will need only to walk through once you have secured and are ready to extract Raiden."

"Roger!" Everyone exclaimed as they headed downstairs.

Ichika and the girls all took their positions, except for Tatenashi who laid herself down into the stasis pod, which was not comfortable but not painful as well. The door to the pod slowly closed as Tatenashi relaxed, ready to dive in and save her favorite silver lion.

All five of the girls and Ichika, after taking off their school uniforms and into their IS suits, went into their chambers and sat and laid back. The chair-like machines leveled their bodies vertically and moved backwards inside.

"We will now connect you to the virtual reality." said Kanzashi as the countdown began from 15 seconds down.

The countdown reached zero and everyone was transported inside the Core Network, where the view was so out of this world.

"You didn't bother to tell them the true nature of Lion Heart. Of what the Akuruka can do." said Miriam to Chifuyu.

"They do not need to know yet. The Akuruturuka must not be awakened again." said Chifuyu.

* * *

By the time the girls and Ichika were in, their images manifested as they found themselves in the same area they were as before. In front of them was a rock cut boulder blocking passage to the other side.

"Is this it?" asked Rin.

"Some sort of boulder." Charlotte stating the obvious.

Ichika thought to himself for a brief moment.

 _This is the same boulder I saw earlier. Kanzashi said she would check it while I was rescuing Charlotte._

Kanzashi's face then pops up from the screen. "It is the door to Raiden's mind. I have been unable to gain access to it from here."

"Then why don't we just remove the stone out of the way?" Laura asked.

"We can't." said Tatenashi. "If we try to force ourselves into Raiden's conscious, we may end up doing more damage than we think."

"So how do we get in?" asked Houki.

Suddenly, a great shaking occurred in the Network as everyone struggled on their feet. The shaking was similar to that of an earthquake on low magnitude and before anyone can see it, the rock cut boulder rolled itself out of the way, revealing the opened doorway.

A bright light shined from the doorway, but it was not enough to blind everyone. Soon they decided to enter through the door yet once they did, there was no turning back as the boulder shut itself.

At first, they were given nothing. Just blackness all around the background. But at least they were able to see each other for the time being.

"Uh, guys, why is it so dark?" Rin asked

"This is Raiden's conscious, right?" Charlotte asked.

"Probably." Tatenashi answered. "But usually it would not be this…cold."

"What do you mean, Tatenashi?" asked Ichika.

"Every individual's mind, without the malignant interference of the dream world, is based upon her personality and what she is. Usually it would be pure and white within the mind. Full of energy and joy. But here, it is just so…cold."

"I agree." Laura said. "Even I am getting chills down in my spine in this darkness even though we are able to see each other."

"Hey. What is that?" Houki pointed out as some sort of bright light like a bright star shined from the distance, but it didn't illuminate the area they were in. Everyone watched as that light grew brighter and brighter before they were engulfed in it, trying to shut their eyes.

* * *

 **VISION BEGINS…**

 _Raiden wakes up in chains bound to a metal cross behind him. He was battered, bruised, whipped, and bleeding all over yet was preserved to be kept alive. After all, in Phantom Task's line of work, especially with his former mistress, to simply kill is a waste if the subject is not resourceful._

" _Wh…Where am I?" Raiden asked. He tries to move but the shackles proved to be firm._

 _Footsteps were then heard as a Japanese scientist adorned in typical robes came over._

" _So, you are awake, Subject #627." The scientist said._

 _Raiden tries to lunge forward and break his chains, but they held him back. Still, his ferocity and anger get the best of him, yet he submits to his shackles as he backs off._

" _Still as ferocious as ever." scoffed the scientist. "If only I could terminate you here and now since you've fulfilled your purpose, but your favored 'mistress' says otherwise."_

 _The scientist puts emphasis on Squall's title. Oh, how he is so jealous of her power and of her looks, always wondering why she loves and favors Raiden out of all the men in Phantom Task._

 _The scientist then pulls something out of his pocket._

" _Look here." Raiden looks up to see a vial of blood on it, labeled with his subject number._

" _We have taken a great amount of effort of extracting your blood, now that it is in its stable form. With it, and all the new boys we have retrieved from trafficking, we will use this blood to inject it into them…and perhaps to us."_

" _For what purpose?" Raiden asked._

" _For the men of course." The scientist explained. "We lost our right to rule this world as the women usurped it from us. When we take in this blood after testing it on the new boys, we will be able to use the IS and take back our rightful place as gods. Men will always rule over women, not the other way around. As it should be."_

 _The scientist was exclaiming this with pride, one shattered when Tabane introduced the IS into the world and the revelation that only women can pilot it. Now he wishes for that right back and believed it was possible in his arrogance._

" _You will soon no longer be needed. You have proven most useful to us."_

 _He could only laugh for amusement to see Raiden chained and doing nothing as the blind boy held his head down, the hairs covering his eyes._

" _Is that…"_

 _Raiden spoke up, making the scientist look up as well after stopping his laughter._

" _Is that how much you desire a more powerful body?"_

 _Raiden's hair began to float upwards as an eerie sound and small clouds of energy gather around him. His eyes began to glow with the same purple fiery mascara coming off._

" _Is that how much you desire a body that won't die?"_

 _The shackles holding Raiden soon became brittle and began to break off as his body was encased in the cloud. Released from his imprisonment, he grew in size as his shape took the form of his Akuruturuka but remained in its cloudlike form, scaring the scientist with every passing moment. His voice became dark and cold as he spoke._

" _ **Then I shall grant you your wish!**_ _"_

 _The scientist was already scared yet he could not move. The man that was contained was now released and angry. The scientist then looked at his hands, still struck with fear._

" _What's happening?" He asked as his hands turned into an amoeba-like substance that made him lose form._

" _ **I shall give you a body that will live forever.**_ _" The dark voice said. "_ _ **I shall give you eternal life!**_ _"_

" _H-Help me!_ _" The scientist tries to make a run for it, but the remainder of his flesh turns into the same fluid-like substance and soon all that remained were his clothes._

 _Everyone else was not so lucky form this curse as they too succumbed to this inevitable and horrifying state. Alarms went off as everyone scrambled but it was all futile. In the end, everyone was cursed, turned into the amoeba-like entities. Some of the curses came together to form as one yet a majority flayed around, mindlessly. In short, everyone was given a fate much worse than death._

 _The dark voice began to laugh as it took in the amusement for the scientists and the suffering they imposed on it. But deep inside its consciousness, Raiden was curled in a ball as he held his head to cease the laughter and pain, knowing his powers are out of control._

" _Stop it…Stop it. Somebody stop me! Stop me…Please stop me…If you can't do that…"_

 _Raiden then commanded in a loud voice out of desperation._

" _Then DESTROY ME!"_

" _All right…" said a feminine voice as white feathers that glowed pink came down, along with the noise of flapping. The voice was like that of a child, so warm and innocent yet also mature._

 _Raiden gasped as he found himself hugged by someone behind him. The feeling was warm and calm, yet confusion only lingered in his mind and was shown across Raiden's face._

" _Father, you've finally returned to me." said the voice._

" _Father? Wait…is that you, GRIEVER?" asked Raiden as Griever's face came to his from behind._

" _It is." GRIEVER said. "If this is what you want, Father, your wish…is my wish. So…"_

 _Another voice then pooped up, one that sounded like a computer acknowledging commands._

 _ **Amaterasu hacked, bombardment preparations completed.**_

" _I will destroy you, Father." GRIEVER said without hesitation and without emotion, only obeying a command._

" _Farewell."_

 _From the skies above space, in Earth's orbit, loomed over a satellite weapon, large and menacing and armed with a high-powered ultra-frequency laser capable to wiping away an entire planet. Two large rings were built around it while the actual satellite itself looked like a giant menacing weapon protected by heavy steel plating, as its laser weapon had three spikes around the firing chamber._

 _Amaterasu. It is named after the Shinto goddess of the sun. And rightfully so, for the firepower of this weapon was equivalent to about 10% of the sun's power._

 _GRIEVER fires the weapon upon the planet, presumably where Raiden is, and as soon as the laser met its target, everything was exterminated in a fiery apocalypse that wiped out all life on Earth._

 **VISION ENDS…**

* * *

A loud gasp is heard from Ichika as he finds himself, along with everyone else, on the floor and dazed out. Whatever that bright light hit them with and whatever they saw must've knocked them all out.

"Guys! Are you alright?" Ichika asked as the others wake up.

"Ugh! What the hell was that?" asked Laura.

"Whatever it was, it felt like someone punched me in the temple." Rin said.

Ichika groans as he gets up before the others follow. Kanzashi's voice is then heard through the comm.

"Everyone!" Kanzashi cried out. "I just read your life signs going critical before it reverted to normal. Is everyone okay?"

"We're alive, Kanzashi." Tatenashi said.

"Hey, what is that?" asked Cecilia as a cherry blossom tree was shown next to a pond, its petals being blown gently by the wind. Then, from behind the tree emerged someone.

The figure was adorned in white clothing, a kimono of sorts. It was a white short sleeved traditional kimono dress with a blue rope tied on each side of her shoulders and a blue ribbon attached to the back of her shirt which is connected to the blue rope and a gray diamond designed obi which is tucked into her kimono dress. On her obi was a silver insignia of a swan at the center of her waist while wearing her outfit. She has an off-white traditional kimono dress which is tied in a white karate belt on her waist and both sleeves of the kimono dress are hanging loose with flower designs on her sleeves and her skirt of her dress. She also wears white and blue fingerless gauntlets with a golden shell design tied in blue ribbons on each side underneath her arm and wrists. The interior of her off-white kimono dress is blue. She also wore a white tabi which is tied in blue ribbons and traditional Japanese geta. She also has an insignia at the center of her waist while wearing the outfit. Her face was obscured as it was covered by a veil and there was only pitch black, but her hair could be seen from the veil. At the back of her hair which is just above the nape, she wears a traditional Japanese hair ornament shaped like a white swan.

The woman-like figure unveiled her veil and revealed her face of beauty, of which the girls and Ichika noted that it was beautiful.

"Welcome." said the womanly figure. "My name is Azumi Hataru, guardian of Lion Heart. Pay heed to what I say lest you avoid the inevitable tragedy that will consume us all."

* * *

( **Author's note** : Insert Soundtrack: _AQUAPLUS – Utawarerumono Itsuwari no Kamen Game and Anime Original Soundtrack Vol. 1 – Hyohaku No Tabibito_ ) ( **Look it up on iTunes or** **YouTube Utawarerumono Mask of Deception OST - Wanderer under the Youtuber Weiss** )

Madoka was busy patching up her serious wounds and getting replacement bandages and wrappings, especially the cut on her stomach. Her IS Black Knight was mostly repaired but she did not want to pilot it yet for she was in need of more power. What Tabane provided was not enough and if it was power Madoka wanted, she would accomplish that by any means necessary. And she knew in her heart that even if she complied to upgrade her IS, Tabane would not give her what she wants.

The right side of her face of which she was severely burned and injured from her fusion cannon was mostly intact but her red scar that went down her right eye remained.

She had received the said scar when she remotely piloted Behemoth Deception against Raiden, and that final move of his axe entering on the right side of her face was the worst injury she ever had. The head gear she wore when remote piloting the IS burned a red vertical mark in the same manner the axe cut her, leaving a permanent red scar on her face. She could remember tearing away the destroyed head gear and holding her face in pain as she struggled to stand up after falling to the ground. She screamed endlessly at the burning sensation as she looked in the mirror to see the blood red scar emit a bright red glow on occasion. At least the scar did not damage her right eye permanently enough to make her half-blind.

Now she carried that scar with her not only as a reminder of her revenge, but also of how even a pilot like Raiden can leave marks wherever he walks. Her first scar was the horizontal one on her neck from her days as a child training with Phantom Task. She received that scar from Raiden as well from when he defeated her one time, cutting her carotid artery. Although the cut was not deep enough to kill her, it did make her lose much blood that she had to be hospitalized and get stiches.

Once, she and the blind boy were close friends, almost like kin. They loved and respected each other and went on various missions together when Raiden was still with Phantom Task as an assassin. They both held the same ideology of the world: it is a cruel and unforgiving place and one must survive and climb his or her way to the top to become the apex predator, the dominator of all things, and the most feared hunter to all prey. Both took the path to become the strongest and both challenged each other on occasion to see who has progressed further. Those were indeed the good days of another lifetime.

But as Project Akuruka advanced for Raiden, he grew in power and skill and was favored highly by his superiors, whether he acknowledged it or not. Although Madoka was the same on her part, she was jealous of her former partner. The power he had at his disposal, the ability to take the form of some sort of god all because of one simple project motivate by what Phantom Task dug up on that fossilized skeleton years ago. She wanted that power for herself as well for she never wanted to be behind Raiden on the same path they took. She was denied access or participation for Project Akuruka. Not even Squall permitted it, who was overseeing the project at the time. And who was Raiden's former mistress that she developed an infatuation with.

Raiden's power, gift, and taciturnity were a few of the many qualities Madoka lacked in and she was envious of those favors. Thus, as Raiden progressed further into Project Akuruka, he grew more powerful and skillful than her and she was defeated time and time again in their many duels. Though she had managed to hold her own against Raiden, she still lacked the power to triumph over his. Her own jealousy and thirst for power led her to hate her former partner, all because of his favorability and power that she wanted. Whether Raiden admitted he liked being recognized or not or whether he felt he deserved such power or not mattered little to her.

When Raiden was rescued by the CIA later, Madoka spitefully severed all ties with him and began a path of her own to pursue her own power. Though she still wanted revenge on her older sister and twin brother, she most certainly wanted her revenge on Raiden for her helpless humiliation and shame of defeat. She still respected Raiden for his cunning and ruthlessness and considers him a worthy opponent to face, for she does not let her rage and humiliation get the better of her unlike some people like Autumn. And even after severing ties with him, she still considers the blind pilot an old friend and former partner.

As Madoka worked on stitching her wounds, the console computer in her room was beeping green. Walking over and activating it, she discovers something regarding the IS Core Network to her intrigue.

"The activity log indicates that they have returned inside the Network. And the Groundbridge portal remains open for anyone to gain access."

Madoka knew that something was stirring up within the IS Core Network, but she was never able to get inside. Mostly it was because she was still bedridden with wounds and her IS needed lots of repairs. Madoka knew Raiden had been inside the Network for one and a half months as she had been keeping an eye on him for quite some time while she was healing yet all she could do was watch and not make a move. Even Squall would tell her to standby to her irritation.

"The only possible reason they would take such a risk, would be to rescue their precious Raiden." Madoka said to herself.

A smirk soon grew on Madoka's face. A small one but noticeable nonetheless for if the Groundbridge portal in the IS Core Network is still open, then anyone can enter, even foreign intruders. After all, it would only be a matter of time before the portal closes.

It was in that moment that Madoka saw an opportunity. The red scar on her face then grew bright red.

* * *

( **Author's note** : Insert Soundtrack: _AQUAPLUS – Utawarerumono Futarino Hakuoro (Additional Soundtrack) – Futarino Hakuoro_ ) ( **Look it up on iTunes or** **YouTube Utawarerumono Mask of Truth OST - The Lords in White under the Youtuber Weiss** )

Everyone looks to see Azumi in her great beauty as she approaches them in the form of some sort of goddess.

"I see that you have all received my message. Good." stated Azumi. "You are the only ones I can rely on to save my son from himself."

"Save?" asked Houki. "You mean Raiden is your son?"

"He is indeed, Houki Shinonono." confirmed Azumi. "And you are highly thought of by him."

"I am?" Houki asked.

"Indeed. You may be the key to his rescue. You and your IS." Azumi said, which made Houki conflicted and in deep thought for a bit.

"Relax yourselves for a bit." suggested Azumi. "The vision you saw was but an actual event as to what exactly happened to Raiden when he went into the Network."

"That vision...was real?" asked Ichika in shock.

"It was, Ichika Orimura." confirmed Azumi. "A dream just like the rest of you all when you were trapped within the Network but in the form of one of his greatest nightmares made manifest. Something from the past, at least."

"How are you here?" asked Laura. "Unless you are a program installed of some sorts."

"In a way, Laura Bodewig, I am." Azumi said. "Before my sudden death, I imparted my will onto this IS core so that I would be there to help my son in his time of need. But now, it is beyond my ability to help him and I must rely on you six to rescue him."

Everyone was still confused as to what Azumi meant. If she imparted her will into the Network, how has she been here this whole time? What did she even do to Raiden?

"But to save my son, you must understand Lion Heart. You must understand what I created and what my son has inherited. And what he has become."

The background then changed into a landscape and shortly thereafter, all six were appearing as blue holographic ghosts and witnessing the events before them. In front their view was Azumi Hataru and her husband, wearing typical white coats and looking over one of the IS cores.

"Many years ago, when the world was still in its infancy with the IS, my husband was solely dedicated to the study of the IS core that Tabane Shinonono made. After years of feverish study, my husband began a project where he would create his own version of the IS core."

Everyone was so shocked. The first manmade IS core in existence and it was in Raiden's IS Lion Heart the entire time. Nobody could've believed such a phenomenon existed. It was taking a lot of time just to sink in this new discovery as silence and shock crept across everyone's faces.

"But I thought it was impossible to make an IS core." said Ichika.

"And not even the best scientists could understand what Tabane-sama made." Cecilia supported.

"Correct." said Azumi. "That's why my husband decided to create one from scratch, using resources that he was equipped with and gaining access to highly classified or illegal materials to use in its construction. My husband was brilliant but not as smart as Tabane, yet he sought to tap into places where not even Tabane could understand."

The next scene is shown with Azumi's husband and herself working on the core.

"I tested the core in an Uchigane IS yet not even the Uchigane was able to sync with the man-made core. So, I tried it with other IS units but those ended up being a failure. Still, my husband and I did not give up in making sure that this core remains secured.

"While this core has the same nature as all other cores in that it possesses a self-evolving mechanism manifesting only when the IS is kept paired with the pilot, its ability to do so is very volatile thanks to what Raiden endured as a child at the hands of Phantom Task."

"What…do you mean?" asked Charlotte fearfully.

After a brief moment of silence, Azumi stated as she brought up the screen of what she revealed next,

"Raiden was part of a horrendous project by Phantom Task called Project Akuruka, an attempt to artificially create the first male IS pilot and super soldier."

The screen showed was a white symbol with the shape of some sort of white mask with two eyeholes, two horns, and a marking on the forehead that showed an upside-down letter of 'T' and two identical vertical lines on the side of the 'T'.

Everyone looked to see it as Azumi explained further.

"This is the source of Raiden's power, what you call the Akuruturuka. But the project goes beyond that."

Then, as if the heavens revealed themselves, the background changed as the universe revealed itself in its beauty and glory. Stars and star dust decorated over the place, as did the many nebulae. At the center of the awe-inspiring space, lied a black hole that was spinning fast as it was sucking everything, even light. But what was interesting about this black hole was that it was bright, giving off a white light, even though the sphere was completely black. The colors close to the black hole were mostly yellow and further out, the colors slowly got darker until it was purple.

"What is that?" asked Houki.

"It's so…beautiful." Cecilia said.

"I can feel the raw energy from here." Laura commented.

"That is the Primal Origin." said Azumi.

Everyone looked to her in confusion.

"The Primal Origin?" asked Ichika.

"The birthplace of Lion Heart. The source behind the power of the Akuruturuka."

Everyone looked onto the sphere as it eternally gathered in more light in its never-ending cycle.

"Where once this became an unknown anomaly, just a small presence within the Network like the birth of a new sun. Now it has become a pocket realm of Lion Heart, sought by many people, Tabane Shinonono included, who seek to uncover its power."

This picked up Houki's ears.

"Nee-san? Why would she be interested in this?" Houki asks Azumi.

"It is in her nature." Azumi answered to Houki. "Your sister, though brilliant, is also a curious one. Whatever catches her attention, she will not stop until she finds out what that curiosity is and what truths it may hold."

Azumi's tone then changed to one of determination if not a bit of anger. "But I have no intention to let her discover the Primal Origin, which is why I created a protective shell program that is meant to guard Lion Heart's IS core at all times from any threat whatsoever, Tabane included."

"You placed a protective shell program around Lion Heart?" asked Charlotte. "But I thought you were its guardian."

"I am, Charlotte Dunois." confirmed Azumi. "But my role is simply one of observation and guidance. The shell program I created, called GRIEVER, is meant to protect Lion Heart from any danger from any intruder trying to go after the Primal Origin. It is the first and last line of defense against people like Tabane who seek the Primal Origin's power."

"Why deny it to Tabane?" asked Ichika in an oblivious statement. "Surely the Primal Origin could be a benefit to all of us."

This angered Azumi as she challenged back, "You would willingly accept such power that comes at a great cost, Ichika Orimura? Power that can potentially kill?! Even your sister would think twice before taking in something like the Akuruka!"

Ichika was a bit shocked as he stepped back a little.

"She's right, Ichika." Tatenashi said. "This power should not exist with the IS. If it were given, think of the damage it could do."

"This power must be sealed away permanently." said Azumi. "The seals I have placed on it long ago are being broken one by one because of Raiden's growing power and of Lion Heart's evolution. Now, I place all my hopes on you, Houki Shinonono."

Everyone turned their attention to Houki, whom the said girl was confused.

"What? Why me?" She asked.

"Your IS may hold the one thing that can save Raiden." Azumi explained. "Of what it is, I do not know. But to do so, you must dive deep into Raiden's mind and face the demons that plague him every day. Such a sacrifice will test your resolve and willingness to save him. Do you understand?"

"I…I do." Houki said, though she and her friends were unsure for the most part. For all they know of Houki's IS Akatsubaki, they only know it is the first of the 4th generation of IS created by her older sister. It is indeed powerful and stronger than all the other IS they have seen but the mechanics and schematics of its construction are difficult to decipher, even the IS core. After all, they were built by her sister in the first place.

"So how do I save him?" Houki asked Azumi.

"I can only bring you to a place where Raiden is currently sleeping. You must find a way to wake him from his nightmare or he will be lost from within."

In a white flash of particles after waving her hand, Azumi teleports everyone out of the realm before all is encompassed in white.

* * *

Back in the real world, the monitors looking over everyone all looked normal as Kanzashi and Yamada-sensei kept an eye on everyone's condition. Chifuyu and Miriam were still present to watch for any vital threats.

A couple of alarm rings from the monitors suddenly popped up from viewing Raiden's status.

"Sarashiki, check out that anomaly." Chifuyu ordered.

Kanzashi checked it out, looking for the error hidden in the wall of text before her.

"Detecting an unknown foreign entity inside the Network. Trying to identify."

The process was taking a bit longer until it identified someone with a familiar set of codes. This made Miriam bring up something.

"That is strange." She said.

"What, Miri?" asked Chifuyu.

"These codes look familiar back at our work with the data Raiden provided on his IS. But why would there be an unknown entity inside of Raiden? It doesn't sound like a coincidence that it just happened to pop out of nowhere."

"What are you getting at, Miri?" Chifuyu asked.

"If Raiden were to be trapped inside here for almost four months, something could have happened to him anytime from within the Network. But why right now?"

Miriam brought a hand up to her chin to think as she went into somewhat of a deep thought. Yet almost instantly, she could reach only one conclusion.

"You think…Raiden is being—" Yamada-sensei did not get to finish as Miriam continued her thought.

"Attacked? Yes. And I have a feeling who it might be."

Chifuyu silently agreed as she gritted her teeth, believing it to be "her." If Raiden was indeed attacked, she could only wait in frustration, hoping the others can defend themselves against her and rescue Raiden at the same time.

* * *

"This place is strong. Such raw power." commented Laura.

"Yes. I didn't think Raiden's mind would be this powerful." said Rin.

Everyone was exploring some sort of cave-like complex maze inside a mountain. Although this was an imagination made in Raiden's mind, it felt so real and normal as compared to the real-world counterpart. The rock looked and felt natural to the touch and though it looked like they could be lost for hours, the group were surprisingly able to navigate with ease.

The group then found themselves before a hole that they had to crawl under which would lead them to a different side.

"Looks like some sort of tunnel. It's gonna be a bit tight to scuttle through there." said Rin.

"Can't we just use that Groundbridge thing to get to the other side?" asked Cecilia.

"I'm afraid that isn't possible." Kanzashi said over the comm.

"Kanzashi?" asked Ichika.

"I'm not picking up anything on the other side aside from a massive energy reading that is stable. Plus, the map layout is a complete unknown. You'll need to crawl through there."

"We'll go one at a time." said Tatenashi as she crawled through first, followed by Ichika, Laura, Cecilia, Charlotte, Houki, and Rin.

The tunnel was a tight fit as each of the girls and Ichika crawled through one by one. Though they were inside the Network, the ground they were on felt so real, like they were crawling through an actual cave. By the time everyone made it through the tunnel, they all saw themselves in a big room.

"What is that?" asked Houki.

The room was very spacious, surrounded by the natural rock in some sort of dome. In the center of it stood a tall crystal-like structure that connected to the top of the dome and chains attached from the walls of the dome that go through the crystal.

By the time the group got to the base of the huge crystal, they were able to see inside of the crystal a large stone throne, along with a figure sitting inside and with chains wrapped around its left arm, both wings, right ankle, and the chest in a X formation. It was sitting perfectly still on its throne given that its eyes were closed. But as everyone looked closer, they saw who or what it was sitting inside the structure.

It was Raiden in his IS, sitting on his throne and sleeping, like his IS were shut down into standby mode.

( **Author's note** : Insert Soundtrack: _AQUAPLUS – Utawarerumono Futarino Hakuoro (Additional Soundtrack) – Utawarerumono Kuon_ ) ( **Look it up on iTunes** **YouTube Utawarerumono Mask of Truth OST - Utawarerumono: Kuon under the Youtuber Weiss** )

"Raiden?" asked Houki as she came up to the throne. But she heard no response.

"Hey what's that by the base of it?" asked Rin.

An inscription plaque lying at the base of the steps leading to the throne was written in Japanese as Tatenashi came over to read it out loud.

"It says, ' _The lion god rests here, forever holding the chaos at bay that is himself. Having sacrificed everything, even his own soul, he sleeps in slumber as the world goes on, while the vixen waits patiently before the first cries of the newborn are heard._ '"

Tatenashi commented with interest. "Very poetic."

"What on earth does that even mean?" asked Cecilia.

"It doesn't matter. We need to find a way to get him out of there." said Ichika.

"There is a way." said Azumi as she appeared in a flash of white light. "But it will require those close to Raiden to do what must be done."

Azumi then turned her attention over to Charlotte Dunois and Tatenashi Sarashiki.

"Of those aside from Houki who have a close bond to Raiden, only you two stand out. I will give you a task that will require you to go into the Primal Origin and retrieve the power of the Akuruka, located in a shrine at the very center. Can you accept this task?"

"We will." said Tatenashi.

"Anything to save Raiden from his slumber." Charlotte answered.

"The Akuruka of Lion Heart will be in the form of a small sculpture in the form of a lion. Retrieve it and bring it here. It will be one of the keys to the ritual."

"Wait!" said Houki. "Why can't I come?"

"You must stay here and use your love for my son to awaken him. Only he can awake at the sound of your voice, as he has done before."

Houki stood down as Azumi opened up a Groundbridge portal that lead to the Primal Origin. The Groundbridge looked like an actual green portal swirling with power. ( **Author's note** : It is just like the Groundbridge from Transformers Prime.)

"There is no time to waste. But be careful. The Primal Origin is a chaotic place." warned Azumi as Tatenashi and Charlotte entered through the portal, along with Azumi as she walked in with them, before the portal dissipated.

"Let's just hope they make their trip quick." said Cecilia.

"Agreed." Laura approved. "Who knows what other things may be stirring up?"

"I just wonder how long we are going to stay in the Network just for rescuing Raiden, not that I am impatient, but we are on a time limit." said Rin.

Houki could only be silent as she looked at the body of her sleeping lion on his stone throne in slumber. Her gaze was interrupted by something else though.

"So, this is the heart of the lion's den."

A voice from behind spoke up as everyone turned around to see Madoka Orimura, in her usual black getup but with a red straight cut-like scar over the right side of her face. She also wore a small loose cowl that covered up the said scar, although the other side of her face could still be seen in a more menacing tone.

Cecilia, Rin, Laura, Houki, and Ichika looked to see Madoka, who returned their gaze as she emerged from a Groundbridge portal.

"You've all gone to impressive lengths to recover your precious lion." said Madoka. "Be assured, I shall never underestimate you again."

Both Madoka and everyone then prepared for what was to come next.

* * *

 **Author's note** : There is a Part 3 incoming but it will take a while due to scheduling conflict and school. The first semester of my last year in college is coming near to an end and I have to get ready for the holidays.


	30. Chapter 29: World Purge-hen (PART 3)

**CHAPTER 29**

 **OP song: Suara – Musouka (For reference, look up on YouTube Utawarerumono Opening)**

(Four loud bangs of metal are heard in four images in red. The first being the iron tessen, the second the US Marines, the third Ichika and the girls, and the fourth being Raiden as he looks frontwards to the camera)

 **Kodomo no koro no yume wa iroasenai rakugaki de** (Like the 1st opening of Infinite Stratos, it starts with the camera viewing the water as it moves forward before it views up to see the IS Academy until a flash of white )

 **Omou mama kakisuberasete egaku mirai e to tsunagaru** (Ichika and the girls, in their IS, fly across the sky like the 1st opening before the scene changes to Raiden looking at the sky, viewing from the IS Academy campus as the camera zooms into him before zooming out, as the camera pans upwards with the leaves before it changes scene)

(Opening title is presented as Infinite Stratos)

 **Sumiwataru sora hateshinai hodo aoku** (Raiden is viewed on the rooftop with some sake)

 **Mujaki na kokoro ni mitasare hikareteku** (Raiden is viewed closer before he turns to look at the camera with a smile)

(Houki is shown three times in three images, each image bringing her closer to the screen)

 **Yagate jiyuu ni tobimawareru hane o te ni irete** (Tabane is shown with holographic butterfly wings as she flies to the moon and spreads her wings out, the glitter of light coming off as the camera pans outwards while her image turns to the camera with a smile)

 **Muku na hitomi wa motometeku** (Miriam Walker is shown for a few seconds before the camera moves closer as it shows Akane Fujimoto's back behind her)

 **sora no mukou e ikitai na** (Ichika flies across the sky as he comes down with Yukihira Nigata **SCENE CHANGE** Raiden is shown activating his IS Lion Heart in its 2nd Shift mode as he points his gunblade to the camera as if giving the signal to charge)

 **Tomedonai negai kara** (Houki slices a Vehicon as she goes through the horde, slicing and dicing with her two katana swords)

 **hitotsu dake kanau no nara** (Cecilia, with her Starlight sniper rifle, hits a Vehicon with a butt of her rifle before turning around and firing two shots to more incoming Vehicons chasing her)

 **Dare ni mo yuzuritaku wa nai** (Rin slices a couple Vehicons in a spin before she fires another with her Shock Cannons **SCENE CHANGE** Tatenashi slams to the ground with her spear stabbed as a group of Vehicons are destroyed)

 **yume o tsukamitai to omou yo** (Laura slices another Vehicon with her wrist blades as she grabs another with her cables and flings it up **SCENE CHANGE** Charlotte is seen prepping her sniper rifle, ready to fire at the Vehicon thrown to her before the scene changes to a brief white screen)

 **Kodomo no koro no yume wa** (Raiden is shown at night viewing the IS Academy as the sakura blossoms flow gently in the wind)

 **iroasenai rakugaki de** (Tatenashi and her little sister Kanzashi are shown underneath a cherry blossom tree looking upwards to the sakura blossoms while enjoying some sake)

 **Itsu made mo kakitsuzukerareta (** Chifuyu and Yamada-sensei and the rest of the IS Academy students are shown in front of their school as the camera moves right to left. **SCENE CHANGE** The villains of the story are shown as the camera moves from the lower left corner to its opposite side, mainly Phantom Task all the way up to the main villain whose image obscured in shadow)

 **negau mirai e to tsunagaru** (In quick time montage scenes, Lion Heart, in its Akuruturuka is shown three times as the camera pans outwards with the quick time scenes in between as the creature roars with flames decorating the background. First quick time image shows Project Akuruka, the next ancient fossilized remains of a winged and spiked lion, the third the Eternal Throne from the Vault. The last scene ends with an image of GRIEVER unleashing the satellite weapon Amaterasu onto the Earth as all turns white)

(The camera moves upward to show Houki in her shrine maiden outfit with the iron fan in her hands as she dances with sakura petals falling as the scene fades to black with the petals still falling.)

* * *

Chloe Chronicle was floating around the Network looking for something. Not forgetting her mission from Tabane she had proceeded deeper and deeper into the Network to look for something. Already she had obtained the data from Chifuyu's IS, Kurazakura, but now she was after something else for her precious master.

"So this is the heart of it all..." Chloe said as she found herself before crystal like pillars, the same ones she found the system core of Kurazakura.

These pillars were different though, for instead of being one big mess, they were standing up straight like ancient pyramids and had strange runes and symbols on them, writings almost like look ancient and mystical.

The pillars were lined up that were of a pathway, almost as if it was leading Chloe onto something. Those crystal pillars soon turned into crystal sakura trees giving off those petals that dissipated into small glass shards before dispersing into light particles. After floating adrift forwards for some time, Chloe finds herself by the rock cut boulder that was underneath a red tori gate with the large rope and white markings found in any Shinto Shrine.

"It's just as Tabane said." Chloe stated. "This gateway leads to the Primal Origin. If I can get a sample of it and bring it to Tabane, it will make her happy."

It is hard to tell the emotions lingering within Chloe but determination aside, she felt the expectant of joy for she does not want to see Tabane with a sad smile, no matter the cost.

Chloe reaches her hand out to the rock cut boulder but then…

"Halt!" A voice cried to Chloe as she stopped in her tracks.

Then, pixelated figures came together to form the image of a girl of some sorts. She was in the form of a beautiful girl as a high schooler, with sharp hips and somewhat large bust. Her hair color was a dark-lilac purple while her eyes were bright blue. Her hair was very long and is worn in twin-tail braids while her bangs and the hair that frame her face are somewhat longer. She wears two hair clips that are black circular pieces with glowing blue X's on them. She wore a full-bodied black suit that resembles a black skintight leotard that sports no blocky patches, rather sharp and curvy lines, and more pronounced purple and blue lines with a patch of purple material going from just below her breasts to just below her navel. She also has two black and purple wristcuffs and more detailed stockings and boots.

She was wearing a strange set of armor that looked like another version of the IS. Her leg armor covered her legs halfway above the knee. Her arms were covered about halfway as well. On top of her head were two animal-like ears that acted as sensors for picking up signals and frequencies. On her back was a large spiral ring storing six BIT units that act as flying blades and behind the ring were a set of butterfly-like holographic wings. She also carried a large two-handed broadsword on her back.

( **Author's note** : The character is based off of Purple Heart from the _Hyperdimension Neptunia_ , mainly a combination of _Hyperdimension_ and _Megadimension_.)

The one that was guarding the door, the one who heeded the wish of her father to sleep, was GRIEVER.

"Leave this place. You trespass upon sacred ground, my father's eternal sleep."

Chloe remained silent. Any order given by someone other than Tabane is an order she is unable to comply to due to her loyalty. Even Tabane would do that.

"I will give you one chance to leave."

"I cannot do that." Chloe said. "I must obtain the Primal Origin, for Tabane Shinonono wills it."

"If you truly wish for that, know that all you will find by my hand is oblivion."

GRIEVER had no choice as she pulled out the sword from her back whilst Chloe materialized her cane which had a laser sword inside of it as she unsheathed it.

The two stood face to face with each other as their weapons were drawn. They then charged into one another with their weapons and locked themselves into a sword lock briefly before they back off.

Chloe strikes horizontally making GRIEVER duck whilst dealing a vertical that is blocked by Chloe's staff. The two continue their sword duel as they looked into each other's eyes like time slowed down briefly.

Chloe disappears from a strike by GRIEVER before reappearing behind her. She then throws makeshift kunai, created from her own hands as a biological IS, and hurls them at GRIEVER but the guardian to Lion Heart charges forward, dodging all the kunai and engages Chloe again as she broke her staff but not her laser sword.

The difference in power is too great as Chloe cannot seem to land a single strike on GRIEVER. One strike sent her back across the ground even after blocking the attack.

To any AI, Chloe had no problem dealing with, but this AI was different. This AI was fully self-aware, programmed to guard the Primal Origin at all costs. Whoever made it was clever to prevent anyone from getting their hands on it. It was powerful but that would not stop Chloe from accomplishing her objective.

As GRIEVER blocked a strike from Chloe, she decided to end this fight and increase her powers with her eyes glowing bright blue. She went on the offensive, to a surprised Chloe, as the blind silver-haired girl blocked every strike before receiving a critical wound on the knee, forcing her to the ground.

Chloe stood up in pain as she recklessly swung her blade horizontally, only for her left shoulder to be stabbed at by GRIEVER's blade. Blood soaked out of the wound as Chloe stepped back.

GRIEVER goes for a strike that Chloe easily blocks but is kicked down onto the ground only for her to stand up. Chloe strikes but GRIEVER blocks as she too strikes but her hand is caught by Chloe's and vice versa. Both combatants struggled as GRIEVER used her strength to direct Chloe's laser sword to the ground, trying to keep the intense heat off of her.

Chloe struggled against GRIEVER's grip before eventually, GRIEVER knocks the laser sword out of Chloe's hand with her blade and gives a nice cut to Chloe's face.

The slash was agonizing as Chloe screamed and crumpled to the ground as Griever stood triumphant. But Chloe was not dead. Transporting herself back to a safe distance, Chloe materialized her laser sword and took a fighting stance, gripping her sword with both hands. GRIEVER did the same.

The air became intense as Chloe was left with marks and wounds, yet she would not deter. GRIEVER was left without a scratch as she stood guard at her stone door. Both looked each other in the eye with the intent to purge one another.

After a moment of intensity, they both took off at the same time towards destiny.

The two fighters met in the middle where a brilliant flash of white light covered the whole area, leaving the fate of the two fighters at a complete unknown.

* * *

Laura, Rin, Cecilia, Ichika, and Houki were facing Madoka who approached them steadily. Her red scar on her right side of her face glowed brighter as her intention and thirst to kill grew ever faster. With Tatenashi and Charlotte in the Primal Origin and Raiden still trapped in his crystal prison, the five were all that's left to defend Raiden but taking on five pilots for Madoka's part, despite their impressive battle skills, is just going to be a walk in the park.

"Now, I assume the pilots of Mysterious Lady and Rafale-Revive will be returning any minute now with something that they have. Something that can wake the lion from his slumber." Madoka said with an evil smile as she approached them.

Everyone gets ready as they activate their IS.

"Houki, you stay behind and guard Raiden." said Laura.

"What?" asked Houki. "No, I want to be there to help you."

"If we fail, then it is up to you to defend Raiden." Laura explained. "If we attack her all at once, it'll be suicide and leave Raiden exposed. We need to buy Sarashiki-san and Charlotte time."

"She's right." Rin said to Houki. "You need to be Raiden's last line of defense should we fail."

"Please, Houki-san. For Aniki's sake, defend him." Cecilia insisted.

Houki then felt a hand on her shoulder coming from her childhood friend.

"Please, Houki. We'll be okay." Ichika smiled

"I…Alright." Houki stays back by the base of the stairs as the others march forward.

Laura then exclaimed, "We defend Raiden and Houki at all costs!"

With that, Laura, Cecilia, Rin, and Ichika charged forth to Madoka. With Cecilia providing the firepower from her BITS and her sniper rifle, she aims and fires as Madoka dodges while activating her IS Black Knight. Madoka then comes forth and gives a punch to Ichika right in the gut and sending him backwards, making him crash into Cecilia when she wasn't looking.

Rin moves forward and uses her Shock Cannons to fire but with Madoka dodging them despite the rounds being invisible, it was hard to keep her trapped by the bullets. Once Madoka got up close, Rin tried to unsheath her Souten Gagetsu blade but Madoka grabbed Rin's head and threw her to the ground before she bounced into a stone wall. Madoka then draws out her sword as she approaches a downed Rin.

With her two wrist blades, Laura tries to go in and attack Madoka but the Black Knight pilot easily blocks her attempt to strike with her sword and kicks her off before she blocks another strike from an incoming Rin from her Souten Gagetsu and then uses one of her Star Breaker cannons to point blank fire at her.

Before she could fire another, she was hit from behind by an incoming Ichika who grabbed her.

"I don't think so!" Ichika said as he and Madoka took a tumble into the stone wall as dust covered the field of battle.

* * *

The two then got off before they both charged at one another, swords primed and ready for swinging.

Charlotte and Tatenashi appear in a flash of light alongside Azumi as they beheld the Primal Origin that laid before them.

"Is this it?" asked Charlotte.

"Looks like it. Now where is that Akuruka?" asked Tatenashi.

"I can only show you a place where the answers you seek are there." said Azumi as she motioned the girls to follow her.

The three traveled as the two girls followed Azumi over to some sort of cave that was underneath a large tree whose roots were big enough to form the opening of the cave.

"Be wary." warned Azumi to the girls. "Give power to that which you fear, and it will show itself to you."

Both girls entered the cave and once they reached its innermost interior, dark shadows surrounded them as did the clouds that followed. It soon encompassed them in a swirling cyclone of sorts that covered the room they were in.

Soon they became surrounded and looked up to see apparitions.

One apparition depicted Raiden in his IS alongside the rest of the girls charging forth to some strange mechanical robotic humanoids of sorts and cutting them down as they were being fired at. War had already come as they all looked battered and exhausted from fighting.

Another apparition was met with a noise, like that of a demon as it showed Raiden in his IS but in a darker color, just like the times he went feral. It showed him impaling Rin before it sliced Kanzashi and then killed Laura before it engaged with Ichika.

Speaking of Ichika, he was shown to suffer under constant torture in the next vision by dark red lightning coming from Raiden before he was thrown away, proclaiming to him that he will die. Chifuyu was also shown in despair as she became consumed by the darkness before Raiden impaled her.

The girls then came face to face with the last apparition, of Raiden in his Akuruturuka form towering over them as he whispered the name of his IS repeatedly.

The spirit then said, " _ **Come. Join me. In the Primal Origin, we are one.**_ "

The spirit then envelopes the two girls as they shut their eyes and took to cover from the strong winds. When all was calm now, they found themselves before a door that opened itself up, leading to a small Tori gate that was shining from the light outside the cave through a hole in the ceiling.

But the two of them were still a bit shaky from the experience as they rested and recovered first.

"Such darkness, such malice. What was that?" asked Charlotte.

Azumi answered as she appeared to them. "Raiden's nightmares, what he fears most. With each day Lion Heart evolves, his fears grow stronger. What you felt from the vision was merely a small portion of what the Primal Origin now holds onto the future."

"Such power." Tatenashi said fearfully. "Is there anyway we can help Raiden stem away from this fatal future?"

"There is always hope, Tatenashi." Azumi said. "Though it often comes in forms not looked for. The key is knowing how to see it and seizing that opportunity. I have been tasked with guiding you forward.

Azumi motions the girls to walk to the Tori gate behind the opened door.

"There can be many outcomes." said Azumi. "But your destinies are now clear. You have been chosen to act as the twin shields to my son. You must succeed where I had failed."

"How can we protect him?" asked Charlotte.

"Dark times will soon be upon us. War will be unleashed and the world will forever be changed by the ultimate sacrifice. Until then, help my son. Love him as I did, share yourselves with him as I did, and most of all, protect him as I did. I will be waiting for you...in the beyond."

Azumi disappears in a flash of light as Charlotte and Tatenashi were left with themselves at the Tori gate.

Underneath the Tori gate lied a small Shinto shrine and its doors opened. Inside laid a white lion mask that looked like it was made of plastic or something made of a hard material. It was a beautiful Venetian lion mask as it showed the upper half of the lion's face complete with its mane and ears shown. The outline on each part of the mask was shown beautifully well done and to top it all off, a silver ornament was engraved on the forehead of the mask. The energy produced from it though was intense as both girls could feel it.

"This looks to be it." said Charlotte.

A shaking was then heard as IS in the form of dark shadows manifested before them and surrounded them on all sides, trying to protect the shrine.

"Whatever is lurking in this cave clearly doesn't want us to get out." Tatenashi said as she activated her IS.

"Agreed." Charlotte said as she did the same.

"Charlotte, can you hold them off while I grab the mask?" Tatenashi asked.

"I'm on it." Charlotte as she pulled out her rifles and began firing at the shadows that dispersed easily yet they kept forming one by one.

Tatenashi meanwhile looked to mask. Grabbing it was not going to be easy but what choice does she have? Her beloved Raiden was in danger and this Akuruka was the key to it all. If grabbing it meant she would come out injured, then that's a chance she would take.

Grabbing hold of the relic, Tatenashi struggled as an incredible surge of power overwhelmed her and hurt her, like thousands of needles jamming at her from everywhere. Her resolve and will however were not broken as she poured it on despite the intense pain.

" _I will get through this. I must. For Raiden!"_

Tatenashi yells in determination as she tightens her hold over the Akuruka mask before a bright light envelopes them all and the surrounding area, with Charlotte shutting her eyes from the light when she turns.

* * *

Having parried his final Reiraku Byakuya attack, Madoka grabs Ichika's arms and flings him over to the wall before she fires one round of her Star Breaker cannons to him. Ichika then collapses to the ground along with the other four who were also incapacitated.

Madoka then sees Houki bring out her swords as she prepares herself to face Madoka. Both charge in as an intense sword fight commences but then, in a sword lock, Madoka unveils her fusion cannon and fires one round to Houki. And then another and another.

Houki feels pain as confusion and shock come across her face, realizing she failed Raiden. Collapsing to the floor, she was promptly kicked to the side away from Madoka as she approached the throne. Houki could only look in despair and pain as she struggled to get up.

Madoka now stands before her hated enemy, sleeping peacefully as if nothing was wrong. Madoka could only stare in hatred and disgust.

"Look at you. You thought your little hideout that you sealed yourself away in will keep you safe from everyone? From me?"

Madoka could only be met with silence as she continued to speak, clenching her left fist.

"You and I were partners once. Equals. Counterparts. Rivals. And now to see my own enemy hiding away like a coward in fear brings me nothing but hatred. All I ever wanted was to surpass you, to be met with a glorious end through our conflict as equals. And yet, here you are, right before me unarmed and vulnerable. Sleeping away on a throne made of stone and surrounded by crystals like you are some kind of god."

Madoka then brings out her energy sword, ready to make the strike.

"At long last, Raiden, I may now take this delightful opportunity end your suffering once and for all."

"I cannot allow that to happen, Madoka."

Ichika appeared behind Madoka from behind as he came face to face with his twin sister with a battered Byakushiki.

"And why should you care, Orimura? He's not your kin!"

"That is true, and yet I failed him where he needed me most. But this much I do know. You've harmed my friends for the last time, and I will not let you have your way anymore."

With that said, Ichika unveils his Yukihira Nigata and uses Reiraku Byakuya one last time as he recklessly charges in and attempts to cut down Madoka. But for Madoka, it was too easy of an attack move as she effortlessly blocked the strike with her hidden fusion cannon.

She then punched Ichika so hard in the stomach it lifted him, sending an incredible amount of pain to him, before she unveiled one round point blank. Ichika then falls on all fours as he grips his stomach in pain, his sword now reduced to its normal state.

"Your heart may be in the right place, brother..." said Madoka as she cracked her neck from side to side with her head before she gave a back handed punch to Ichika bringing him to the ground as his IS deactivates. From that one punch, his IS reached critical damage and his shield energy was nearly zero.

Madoka then brought her fusion cannon hidden blade close to Ichika, the tip pointed between his eyes as he looked up.

"But you have much to learn before you could hope to ever again stand your ground against me. A moment sadly which shall never come."

Madoka was ready to end Ichika's life when out of nowhere, Charlotte and Tatenashi emerged from another Groundbridge portal and Tatenashi charged straight into Madoka's back, pushing her to the ground away from Raiden and Ichika.

"Charlotte, you're back." Ichika said as he looked up.

"And just in time." Charlotte said as she unveiled the Akuruka mask in her hands. She then turned to Houki.

"Please…save Raiden. For all of us." Charlotte said as Houki took the mask. The French girl then took off to join Tatenashi against Madoka.

"Ugh…" Ichika groaned as he got up but Houki looked in concern.

"Ichika, wait." Houki said as she used her One-Off Ability, Kenran Batou, to give Ichika back some energy, restoring him back to full strength and making him use Reiraku Byakuya once again.

"Thanks, Houki. Now, go save Raiden." Ichika said with a smile as he took off to join Tatenashi and Charlotte.

"It is time…" Azumi appears before Houki. "With the Akuruka, you must use it to gain access to Raiden's mind and free him from within. I will guide you through for some time but the rest you must traverse alone."

"What must I do?" asked Houki.

"Sit in front of Raiden and put on the Akuruka mask…" Azumi instructed. "Then, use its power to reach into his mind and search him from there."

With those directions, Houki deactivates her IS and sits in the traditional seiza position before she dons the Akuruka mask on. Closing her eyes and taking deep breaths, she empties her mind as the Akuruka glows and before she knew it, a calm surge of power glowing scarlet red in a calm manner surrounded her.

* * *

Opening her eyes, Houki found herself in some alternate dimension. Her surroundings were initially enveloped within a nebula of golden gas before it calmly dispersed to show her something truly unbelievable. While seemingly barren, the surface was clean and pure, and hospitable to all species. Geysers of light erupted through the many fissures that crisscrossed the place, boiling over with pure life energy.

The interior of the place was hollow space containing drifting islands of solid ground. Floating amid amber clouds, the islands were covered in jungles of bamboo and inhabited by creatures of all shapes and sizes. It held a very Japanese-like theme to it, as if Houki stepped back in the time of her ancestors.

Getting up, Houki found herself with only her IS suit on and the Akuruka mask hanging on her right hip. She then saw Azumi Hataru manifest before her.

"What is this place?" asked Houki. "Are we…"

"This is Raiden's mind, but it is shaped in the form of the Primal Origin due to his strong bond to his IS. Because both he and his IS are one and the same, you now drift inside their consciousness."

Azumi then floats herself to the top of one of the strange flora as she touches it.

"The mind of Lion Heart is also the will of the Primal Origin. All that surrounds us is the foundation of life, the birthplace of the Akuruka, a power that can be used to create…" Azumi then allows a flower to bloom on the flora. "Or to destroy." The strange flora then crumbles into dust.

Azumi continues. "Any pilot whose IS is connected to the Primal Origin, when they pass away specifically, all is renewed. Life passes from the IS Core Network and into the Primal Origin and becomes one with it. One empowers the other. One is renewed by the other."

"So, you're saying that the IS Core Network…is the world of the IS?" asked Houki. "And the Primal Origin is where all IS go upon death, along with their pilots?"

Azumi nodded. "And at the center of it all lies its creator Lion Heart, the original Akuruturuka. Now come."

Houki follows Azumi as the guardian continues to levitate while Houki travels on foot. They then come across a pond as Houki leaps from one rock to the other in order to follow Azumi.

"Before you save Raiden, you must first learn to know yourself. Your true self, and then, let go. You must learn overcome your fears. Your nightmares."

Azumi then points to a nearby floating island that was different from the others. Whereas most of them were calm and had a sense of peace, this one was violent and chaotic. Dark storms covered it as large solid thorns made of stone erupted from the ground and twisted plant roots covered up the place. The island was also bigger than most of the others Houki had seen.

"On that island lies the darkness that lingers in the hearts of all IS, created by Lion Heart when it first awoke violently. You saw its dark power first hand many months ago against one of your colleagues."

Houki recalled that moment last semester. After Laura stabbed Raiden, a darkness enveloped him, and Raiden emerged but in a more feral state, more deranged and savaged. How that dark creature tore Laura to shreds and spread out the blood of its prey all over the arena.

Houki had almost forgotten that moment for it was one of the countless depraved memories she wished to forget.

"From that awakening, Lion Heart awoke, and the Primal Origin emerged within the IS Core Network. And now this island is what remains of it, a scar to be reminded of how violent power is."

Azumi then gave Houki her task. "You must learn to overcome your fear before the journey can be taken. You must free yourself from the fear that holds you back."

Houki however had something to say. "I've trained myself to overcome my fears. I already know all that dwells within me. I have conquered my fears and mastered my weaknesses."

Azumi then turned to Houki, still bearing the same expressionless face. "Have you?"

She then pointed to the island. "Face your evil on that island and defeat it."

Azumi then disappears in a flash of white light as Houki continues hopping over the stones before she reached to the island. From there, she began to venture forth inside.

It was dark, and cold. The chill of the wind felt like death's fingers crawling over her skin as the atmosphere looked like it was still. The light within the island grew dimmer and dimmer as Houki ventured forward. If she had to face whatever evil Azumi mentioned was hers on this island in order to save Raiden, then she would do so with resolve.

Houki then found herself in some sort of cave as she continued to walk before she heard some sort of voice.

" **Houki** …" The voice echoed throughout that sounded like hers, but it was more sinister, darker and threatening.

Houki looked and saw a glimpse of a shadow across the vast cave complex illuminated by the holes shone with light. The voice laughed as it watched her from the darkness. Houki continued walking, not knowing that she was being watched.

Calling her name again, Houki turned around feeling that she was being watched but she saw nothing but the entrance.

Again, the shadow ran past and behind her as Houki turned around yet still saw nothing, as it continued to sinisterly chuckle.

Houki told herself she was not afraid yet a few drops of sweat trickled down the side of her head.

The voice called her name again and ended with a laughter as Houki had enough of being stalked.

"Show yourself." Houki demanded.

Feeling its presence, Houki turned around to see a dark cloud swirl around a large tree root before it took form, of Houki's image. But it was a darker version of herself comprised mostly of shadow and had red glowing eyes. It crawled on the large tree root like a primate.

" **You come here to die…** " Dark Houki taunted and laughed as she flipped and landed from the tree root. It then immediately assaulted Houki and brought her to the ground before it roared in front of her face, like that of a monster.

Houki could only look in a bit of shock of the image projected before her.

" **What makes you believe you are worth something? What makes you believe you love him?!** "

Dark Houki then takes the poor girl and tosses her to another area of the cave.

Like an animal, Dark Houki grabs Houki and chokes her from behind as the girl struggles. Houki then elbows her to the rib cage, able to hurt it before grabbing its arm and flipping her over to the ground. Both of them back off before Houki delivers a spin kick to Dark Houki as it is hurled back one side of the cave.

"You have no idea who I am." retorted Houki to her darker self.

Dark Houki merely laughed as it walked back to her while shaking off the dust.

" **Do you not even bother to look inside your heart?** " Dark Houki asked with an evil smile as it walked around Houki.

"I choose not to give you power." Houki claimed.

" **And yet you spend your days in the decadence of peace whilst watching the one you love suffer, knowing you cannot do anything. And from that, I grow stronger inside you. I 'do' know who you are. A weakling coward who cannot save that which she cares most. Face me now, know your true fears, and watch just how powerless you are.** "

That last statement ended with a darker and more evil voice from Dark Houki as the samurai girl had enough. Houki charges forth to her darker shadowy counterpart and fights her by charging and grabbing her to the wall. Dark Houki grabs and throws her to one side and the other as Houki throws a punch to her face.

It was a tireless battle that ended with Houki being upper cut and sent flying to the top of a ridge. As Houki recovers, Dark Houki comes from above to strike, only for Houki to roll and move out of the way. Utilizing her martial arts, Houki attempts to make a trike as Dark Houki dodges before being struck in the leg and bringing her to one knee and receiving an upper cut as payback.

Utilizing one of her IS swords Karaware in her left hand, Houki points it to Dark Houki's chin.

"You are not a part of me!" Houki claimed.

Dark Houki laughed. " **Ha! I 'am' a part of you.** " The shadow then knocked Karaware out of Houki's hand before she flipped her over.

" **A part that you have denied and fed in your anguish. A part of all that lives!** "

Dark Houki then grabbed Houki and threw her to another wall of the cave, stunning her as Dark Houki advanced and threw a beat down to Houki as she rolled to her back.

Choking Houki with her hands, Dark Houki said, " **I give you hate what gives you power!** "

Dark Houki then proceeded with a beat down of Houki from punches and kicks as Houki felt every hit and bruise being made. Then Dark Houki threw another upper cut that sent Houki flying near the entrance.

Coughing up from her wounds and spitting out her blood, Houki struggled to get upright as her darker self approached her.

" **I ask again.** **What makes you believe you are worth something? What makes you believe you love him?!** "

Houki then widened her eyes, as if a revelation came to her as she coughed up more and more blood. Seeing brief flashbacks of herself with Raiden then threw her into a bit of a trance, as if time slowed down.

She had seen it all now. What is it that makes Houki worthy to Raiden? What made her believe she loved him? Why would she go so far and take this trial to save Raiden? Was it worth it in her heart to suffer in order to save him?

It all pointed to one thing. Love.

Of all the simple things in life, love was the answer to it all. For love doesn't lead to the darkness. Passion can lead to rage and fear, and can be controlled... but passion is not the same thing as love. Controlling her passions while being in love... that's what she must learn to beware. But love itself will save her and Raiden... not condemn her.

She had finally understood and reached an enlightened understanding.

"I 'do' recognize you." said Houki. This prompted Dark Houki to halt her advance before anger took over as it charged to Houki.

But with her calm and empty mind, Houki holds Dark Houki back. Standing up, she glared at her dark counterpart.

"You are a part of me." Houki confirms as she pulls Dark Houki to her. "But you have no power over me!"

Fear then crept onto Dark Houki, knowing that Houki has begun to overwhelm the shadow.

"It is through patience, through training, and through love that I control you, for you no longer control me."

With her mind, Houki pulls her dark shadow to herself despite its attempts to flee. Slowly and surely it is pulled up to Houki as she grasps its cheek with a sense of pity and acceptance.

"You are my darkness. Of that I have accepted. And now, I reject you!"

Cracks of light and flame formed onto Dark Houki as it screamed in its oblivion before disappearing into nothingness. Houki was soon left alone.

Exhausted, Houki collapsed and closed her eyes before a moment later, she opened them again. Her wounds were healed as were her bruises.

Azumi Hataru appeared before her once again.

"You have conquered your fears. Now you must face the demons that keep Raiden contained in his prison. To the heart of the Primal Origin, we go."

Azumi took Houki's hand and took her to a bright light that shined forth to them. They then found themselves before a Tori gate and the stone boulder door before them adorned in shimenawa rope horizontally.

Houki could only reflect on her fight with her darker self before she broke the silence.

"The darkness was powerful. I thought…I could defeat it easily."

"What you faced was a reflection of your fear in the shadow of your soul." Azumi stated.

"And yet…" Houki said with regret. "I thought I was strong enough to be clear. I thought I had conquered it after the fight with the Silver Gospel."

"The creature is you as you are the creature. Just like my son to his IS." said Azumi as she turned around away from Houki. "To deny your darkness is to give it power. To contain it only makes it stronger."

"Is the answer really that simple?" asked Houki.

"Depp inside your heart, you felt you could rescue Raiden easily." Azumi says as she turns to Houki. "But you must understand that the road my son has taken is one filled with pain. A pain that you will see with your own eyes as you enter through here alone."

Azumi rolls the door open as it leads to a series of steps.

"What must I do now?" asked Houki.

"This part of the journey I cannot aide you in for it is up to you now to help Raiden. He will await you below. But beware for he is struggling in a losing battle with his own darkness." Azumi then disappears as Houki is left alone before she steps inside and goes down to the dark and ominous cave.

After going down many steps, she finds herself the gate that opens before her and sees Raiden sleeping on his stone throne, just like in the Core Network. Except he was not surrounded and encased in crystal like last time and in place of chains, ropes in the form of a cloud-like shadow tendrils entangled him.

Rushing to him, Houki cries to Raiden.

"Raiden. Raiden, wake up! It's me."

But Raiden was silent and did not wake. A short moment later, Houki saw what was happening to her surroundings for the walls were being cracked open as small earthquake-like shaking occurred. Then form out of the ground, more tendrils appearance and entangled Raiden, encasing almost all of his body.

" _Raiden…His mind is slowly deteriorating and struggling. What can I do? Come on, Houki, think! What can I do?!"_

The cracks were becoming wider and more noticeable as the intensity of the shaking increased. Houki's fears began to come over her before she heard a loud noise and saw a glow by her waist.

The Akuruka mask shined in the presence of Raiden as Houki took it off. She then placed it on Raiden's face and almost instantly it attached itself to him perfectly.

Houki then grasped her beloved lion's face as she came closer to him.

"Raiden…I know you can hear me." Houki said calmly as she hugged him. "You have always protected us, protected me. You put your life at risk for all of us and always came to save us in our moments of despair. It is what drew me to you. It is why I fell in love with you."

One by one, the shadowy tendrils holding Raiden slowly dissipates.

"Your devotion, your sacrifice, your will to save us is almost like Ichika's but stronger. More determined."

Houki's voice then turned melancholic even as more tendrils disappeared.

"But in my arrogance and passion, I had forgotten what you suffered in the past. Why you always end up seriously wounded. Why my heart aches when every moment I see you fight, you come out of it barely alive."

Tears then formed on Houki as they gently fell from her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything. I only sought to help you, yet I didn't bother to understand what it was you were going through all this time. You have always fought alone, Raiden. You believed that your war was yours to fight by yourself. You only fight it to prevent us from helping you, to prevent us from seeing the horrors you have seen. But no more."

Only a few tendrils of shadow remained on Raiden as they encased his hands to his stone throne.

"I am tired of watching on the sidelines and seeing you fight alone. I do not want you to do this anymore. I don't want you to end like this. You don't need to fight alone because I am here. Because I need you as you need me. But most of all…"

Houki then took a deep breath and said, "I love you. And I really want to see you again. Please…come back to us. Come back to me."

Houki then leaned in and kissed Raiden on the lips as the last tendril of shadow dissipated. And from that, a bright light shone forth encompassing the area.

* * *

Madoka stood over her three defeated opponents in amusement. Although Charlotte and Tatenashi were powerful, it was not enough to go against the Black Knight IS pilot. Even Ichika was incapacitated.

Madoka pointed her sword over to Tatenashi who was still conscious yet heavily wounded as she gritted her teeth and tried to reach for her spear before it was kicked out of the way.

"How nice of you to join our little reunion." Madoka said. "Now, if you don't mind, the Akuruka!"

A light shined bright from Raiden's throne as Madoka looked. Fear then crept on her face. Fear of being too late.

Houki collapsed to the ground in exhaustion as the Akuruka mask disappeared from her face and reappeared on Raiden's. She could hardly move a muscle due to the toll it took on her as she looked up with hope to see Raiden awoke. But strangely enough, Raiden was still sleeping inside his crystal.

An angered Madoka left the trio and made her way to the throne as fast as she could. She could not lose this battle today, not when she became this close to finish off her hated enemy. Rin saw this and tried to intervene Madoka but simply battered her away to the side as she kept running forward.

Houki then heard Madoka's footsteps as she used her strength to put herself between her and Raiden as the Black Knight unsheathed her hidden blade from her fusion cannon.

"NO!"

Madoka tries to make the cut on a defenseless Houki, whom the girl covers herself with her own hands in fear.

But a defender attired in their IS caught the blade with their hands, protecting Houki. The defender then said,

"Madoka…"

The two halves of the jaw of Lion Heart's clamps together in its battle mode, showing the teeth and shocking Madoka like the life drained from her as fear took over. It was clear to one thing.

Raiden Hataru has woken up.

"Begone!"

Raiden punches Madoka with his left fist before giving a series of punches and kicks to the girl, pushing her back away from his throne. In one final strike, Raiden uppercuts Madoka with a left claw and sends her flying backwards before crashing into a wall and falling to the ground.

Everyone who had woken up from their incapacitated state looked in amazement and joy as they see their friend alive and awake. They all rally to his side quickly.

"Hey, An-chan." Raiden turns his head to Ichika as his right arm forms into an ion cannon and his left holding his gunblade in its sword mode.

"Might I ask how we arrived here?"

"It's a long story, Anisama." Ichika answered as he brought out his sword.

"Everyone, come in." asked Kanzashi from behind her monitor. "We are reading seven signatures in the Network. Is Raiden with you?"

"He is." confirmed Charlotte. Everyone gave a sigh of relief, Chifuyu and Miriam included.

From the ground, Madoka brings herself up as she growls in anger and defiance. Everyone fires their weapons at her in an effort to hold her back except for Houki, Rin, and Ichika as they look to see a Groundbridge portal opening to their left.

"It's ours." said Houki.

"Good timing, little sister." commented Tatenashi.

Raiden then turned and relayed, "Everyone, fall back through the Groundbridge."

Even though her IS protected her from the shots fired, Madoka was getting annoyed and sought to finish this as she charged forward and fired her fusion cannon at them.

Houki and Tatenashi went in first, followed by Rin and Cecilia.

"This time, he's coming with us." exclaimed Laura as she fired. She then fell back after Ichika and Charlotte respectively went through.

Raiden was the last one as he and Madoka continued to fire at each other, the enraged girl still charging forward.

Raiden dodges a couple more shots from her as he jumps to his left through the portal while firing. The portal then closes, taking him with it.

Madoka ran ever closer to him, firing continuously and not wanting to let her prey get away. She had not come this far only to fail and kept firing. She hoped she could reach in time to get through the portal.

But Madoka was too late. The portal was gone as was her prey. With her mission a failure once again, fury painted over her face as she let out a scream of anger and defiance as she was soon forced out of the IS Core Network.

"NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

Bright lights were all that seen as everyone woke up to see the white roof of the IS central control room. The door to Tatenashi's stasis pod opened as she got out and nearly collapsed had it not been for her sister that helped her out and put a warm blanket around her due to the cold temperature in the stasis pod as per its systems.

They were all back in the real world, but one question remained. Did that include Raiden as well.

Everyone attended to one another to help them up as Ichika saw Houki stood by Raiden's stasis pod before it too opened up. The cold clouds came out as soon as the door to the pod opened as Raiden's body defrosted. But Raiden wasn't moving nor was he waking up.

That is until he collapsed and was caught in Houki's arms. Houki felt the cold from Raiden's body, like dealing with icicles. As she brought him low and put his head on her lap, she turned him over to see Raiden asleep but with something new on his face.

His Akuruka mask was firmly attached to him. It covered up much of his upper face save for the two eye holes in the mask, but they only showed his blindfold from where his eyes could normally be seen.

It was then Kanzashi brought out another blanket and put it on Raiden before she checked his vitals.

Kanzashi sighed in relief, "He's alive. Just asleep. But we need to get him somewhere warm."

Nodding, everyone helped Raiden onto a stretcher whilst keeping the blanket on him before they escorted him out to somewhere warm.

From above, Chifuyu watched with Yamada-sensei sighing in relief, thinking that it is now over. Miriam Walker had left though, citing that she needed to file her report on the situation and trusting the Academy to take care of Raiden's condition.

But for Chifuyu, there was one loose end she had to deal with, concerning of a certain purple-haired rabbit. To that end, she took off to somewhere where she would find it.

* * *

At a café located at a coastal park not too far away from IS Academy, a girl was sitting alone at a table. The girl's name was Chloe Chronicle, someone who swore loyalty to Tabane.

She put down the coffee she did not even take a sip from, and had already cooled; just when she was about to leave, someone stopped her.

"Do you mind if I take a seat here?"

The girl, who had a creed to remain calm, was shocked inside. Even with her eyes close, she could tell whose voice it was from her internal data.

"Orimura…Chifuyu…"

With this instinctive understanding, Chloe remained seated in her seat with a bit of trepidation. She received the coffee while enduring her trembling hand unnoticeable by most.

"Well, let me conclude this: tell Tabane to stop sticking her nose into places unnecessary."

The moment she heard of that, Chloe had no choice but to kill her. She could not compromise her mission to get back to her beloved master.

"Give it up, don't think about it. Your fighting ability alone won't be able to kill me, even if you use an IS."

In that moment, Chloe opened her tightly closed eyes. Her eyes were of strange colors; her left eye was black, and her right eye was golden. At that moment, Chifuyu was locked in a pure white world where the dimensions were unknown.

"An IS developed together with a biological body? Has that Tabane developed it to this extent?"

Chifuyu mutters, uses her hand to parry away the knife pointed at her neck, and then uses the momentum to pick up the knife on the table to stab at the pure white space.

It was Chloe's complete defeat. Chloe undid her ability without hesitation.

"That's the correct choice. See you then."

Chifuyu got up from her seat and was ready to depart, but not before she stopped for one final word.

"Speaking of which, is it alright for you not to meet your little sister?"

"That's not my little sister. She's an incomplete me, the completed form of _Laura Bodewig_."

And so, she added on,

"I am Chloe Chronicle."

She muttered out the most precious name she got from Tabane. Upon hearing that, Chifuyu seemed to be somewhat satisfied, and walked out of the shop.

As she walked on the beach, Chifuyu said only one thing to herself quietly.

"I still can't lose to you here, Tabane."

Chloe, who's left behind, takes a sip of coffee that has no warmth in it left.

"…It's bitter."

Then, Chloe heads out of the shop, with her eyes glowing a familiar bright blue color as she opened them and a familiar face of a bright purple-haired girl illuminating over her face before it reverted back to her own.

* * *

"Wh…Where…?"

It was the first question Raiden asked himself as he found himself in his room and lying on the bed back in his room on a very early morning with the sun just starting to show its first morning rays. He dared to ease his eyes open, and find a familiar ceiling hanging over him—as well as the familiar surrounding coming back to him, the comfort of his bed feeling on his back.

" _Well, it looks like my room…I guess that means I am free? Everything's a blur…"_

Raiden's eyes wander over to a lamp near him and the light makes him squint a little. He tries to shield his eyes but his arm refuses to move—instead it throbs in pain.

" _Ghhh. It feels like every one of my muscles is doing its best shredded meat impression. If shredded meat were also made of nail. But if I can ache, I'm alive. I can still fight. The Academy is not going to keep it together without me. If I present myself in good health, that ought to encourage everyone…"_

Try as he might to get up, however, his body seemed to have different ideas, as though thick ropes hold it fast to the bed. Raiden clasps his head in pain.

"Agh, my head-! Like it's s-splitting open, geez—"

Then Raiden felt something hard on his face, like he was wearing a mask. It covered half of his face and he could not seem to find the edges of it. It was not tied to anything and it was very likely it may have been fused to his face permanently, much to his annoyance.

Raiden manages to twist his body around and haul himself out of bed, but that's all he can do. His brain is sending orders to his muscles just to refuse to follow.

"Urgh…" Raiden gets up before he knocks down a piece of glass from a cup filled with water. Footsteps were then heard like someone was running as someone came to his side.

"Raiden, don't get up yet." Tatenashi said as she held Raiden up.

"Tatenashi…?" asked Raiden in a bit of a haze. He didn't notice her come in until he needed rescuing.

"Come on. Up now, back into bed." Tatenashi says as she pulls him upright, then does her best to help him back to bed, taking it slowly.

"I don't have time to relax…" said Raiden.

"You spent too much time trapped in the Core Network. You need to rest and recover." Tatenashi stated calmly though on the inside, she was holding back her desperation.

"I see…" Raiden understands.

What follows is silence on both sides. Raiden secretly glances over at the other side through the hole in the curtain, and Tatenashi too looks over at the same, albeit up close and personal.

"Raiden…"

"What is it?"

"Can I…join you in bed?"

"Of course." Raiden answered immediately.

"Just…turn over to your side for me, okay?"

Raiden followed what she said, and turned away with her help to lie down with his back facing Tatenashi as she climbs in after undressing herself down to her undies and bra. She then looks at Raiden's back that, while muscular and attractive that made her blush, it had a considerable number of scars. Scars that looked like those from a whip adorned with sharp objects.

"So, Tatenashi…" Raiden broke her silence.

"What is it?"

"Any reason why you are in my bed?"

Tatenashi tilted her head cutely. "Hmm? Is it because I want to sleep with you, Aruji-sama?"

"I know that, but why must you get onto my bed?" Raiden clarified calmly.

"It's fine as long as it is your bed, right?"

"I guess." Raiden said.

"…Good."

Another moment of silence followed before Tatenashi broke it with anxiety furrowing her brow.

"…You survived again, but we cannot allow this to happen again, you realize."

Raiden thought to himself briefly.

" _Of course she's worried, seeing me like this…"_

Another shot of pain coursed in his body as it took all the strength he can muster to shift his body so he could face Tatenashi and puts his hand to her head.

"You don't need to worry…" Raiden said with a wry smile. "Though I suppose that means little, with me in this state."

"Raiden…Tell me now. Is there really a chance this war with yourself will end?"

Raiden seemed conflicted as he thought for a moment.

"My war cannot end, Tatenashi. Not to say that it is impossible, it is just that…I haven't won it yet. From the very beginning, I've only ever had one goal. No matter how this ends, I'll see it done."

"Even if it means pushing yourself past your limits to the point where you end up like this, worrying everyone? Worrying me?" asked Tatenashi like she demanded an answer from this question. She grasps Raiden's hand with hers.

"Do you have any idea just how far we went to save you from the Network? We all came out of it battered and wounded just to save one soul. Just to save you. If your wounds are worse next time…"

"Perhaps so. Next time, I will do better." Raiden said but that made Tatenashi give a grim concerned look.

"Don't worry. I think I'm finally beginning to understand, now." said Raiden.

"Huh?"

"What I am meant to do…What I've always wanted. Next time…when I face the enemy, I will-"

"You cannot!" Tatenashi said cutting him off in desperation.

"Tatenashi? What's wrong? What did I say?" asked a confused Raiden.

Tatenashi then grips herself closer to Raiden and brings her head to his chest, hearing his heartbeat.

"I don't want to lose you to your war." Tatenashi whispered. Her voice then became like that of a child, one clinging to a father who is a soldier. Raiden welcomes the pleasant warmth, despite her stiffness.

"Please, let me lie here with you until you fall asleep."

"Tatenashi…"

Mixed concern and bashfulness flicker across her expression, eyes downcast.

"Seriously, now. What's the matter?" asked Raiden.

"It's you, Raiden." Tatenashi said. "I…I don't understand. Houki told me everything of what she felt about you. And I never noticed. I never tried to see…That each battle you fight…you lose more of yourself in the process, like you are dying."

Tatenashi began to let tears fall on Raiden's chest.

"Me, Charlotte, and Houki…We can only think of our own wants with you. Our own selfish need…to have you back…Houki was the one that placed that mask on you, all in an effort to save you."

Tatenashi then concluded, "I see it now though. The one hurting the most in all of this…the one sacrificing…has been you, Raiden."

Raiden then understood what Tatenashi was trying to say. Raiden had always fought alone yet while he suffered immense pain more than anyone, his pain had also harmed his friends and lovers in a way he did not see. He never wanted them to see the reality of what he had endured but even the most closely guarded secrets cannot stay secretive forever. Of that he knew. But his own secrets he knew not of.

"I chose this, Tatenashi." Raiden said as he lifted her chin up to face him. "I never wanted to cause you or the others pain, but I guess I do so anyway. And for that…I am truly sorry."

Tatenashi snuggled herself in Raiden's neck.

"As long as you promise me that you will not suffer anymore, as long as you promise me not to cause us more pain, and carry on…I will do anything I can to help you. I promise."

Admitting this must be hard for Tatenashi as Raiden can tell she is tensing up against him despite his paralysis.

" _For all her power, she has no idea how she can make a tangible, helpful difference when it comes to me…"_

Letting out a low and quiet breath, Raiden wraps his arms around her tiny frame and hugs her close.

"I know I cause you more trouble than I may be worth." Raiden said as she squeezed her tightly. "But don't worry, Tatenashi. I'm not going anywhere. I promise. So just watch my back, Tatenashi. That's all I can rightly ask you for."

"Raiden…"

"Let's take a break today. Keep me warm awhile longer? It's helping the pain."

"Yes…"

Tatenashi burrows more deeply—more comfortably—into the blankets. For the first time in months, she could feel the familiar warmth of Raiden with her just like they did when they always slept together.

There's silence on both sides again. Raiden didn't know how long this would continue, and Tatenashi's body warmth from behind him caused his heart to flutter.

"Raiden…do you remember that I'm called Tatenashi because that's the name of the Sarashiki family head?"

"Yes."

He suddenly recalled her doing so in their many private talks together.

"I'll tell you now…my real name."

A little breath rings at his ear gently. Raiden feels that warmth that causes his heart to race, and Tatenashi whispers to him with a soft yet clear voice.

"Sarashiki, Katana."

One can wonder the reason why Tatenashi wanted to tell him this, but once he feels that he can understand her more and more, his heart feels a little happy. Raiden allows his eyes to fall shut, focusing only on the soft, warm presence beside him.

"Aruji-sama…good night, Aruji-sama."

"Good night, Katana."


	31. Chapter 30: Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

Tabane was working hard as usual in her hideout. It's been a long time since Chloe Chronicle was gone. And she was waiting, not that she was impatient. But rather worried. After all, her care for Chloe was on the same level she has for Chifuyu, Ichika, and her little sister Houki. If any of them were missing, Tabane would be worried. Though usually she keeps it to herself so as to keep that dorky smile of hers.

The doors to her hideout opened as Chloe came through. Tabane saw this and immediately got out of her hideout just to meet her. As usual, her chair retracted and moved to the door before the large steel frame opening upwards into three parts and the stairs lowered down with a metal thud. Tabane immediately jumped from her chair to meet Chloe.

"Ku-chan!" said Tabane while keeping that smile of hers. "You had Mama all worried, you know? Mou! What took you so long?"

For a small moment, Chloe did not answer and kept her stoic look. Tabane only saw this as just Chloe being Chloe, with her closed eyes and formal attitude.

"Ku-chan, Mama cannot hear anything you are saying. Don't be shy! Where were you?"

Finally, Chloe spoke.

"I'm afraid you're out of luck." said Chloe.

"Huh?" asked a confused Tabane with her head tilted.

Chloe then said as she looked up to Tabane, "You sought the Primal Origin?" A chuckle was heard from the girl as she smiles. "It seats only one."

"Heh? Ku-chan, what are you talking about?" asked Tabane with that curious look of a small child.

Chloe then brings herself over to the table where the croissants were usually laid out, but the table was empty. She then traces her fingers on one of the chairs as she spoke in a deeper tone than usual.

"Oh Tabane-sama…how I have waited for this. Longer than you could ever know." Chloe then brings her hand out and slowly clenches it in a fist as she says,

"Tonight, the dreams of the Rabbit…come to an end."

"Ku-chan, what are you…?" Tabane asks as Chloe had her back turned to her.

"The once helpless and hapless Rabbit. Is she now ready to prove herself worthy?" Chloe asks as she turns around. "Don't let us down."

Chloe then conjures up a sword from thin air and draws before Tabane does the same. Both of their swords were the same as it was a simple blade with a small angelic wing on its hilt.

The two then charge at one another and clash blades. In that instant, Tabane saw Chloe's possessed blue eyes as she then saw what became of her. The yellow eyes were not there, meaning that Tabane was not fighting Chloe but something else. Something that had taken possession of Chloe and has now discovered her hideout.

The force of the two's clash of blades force them to the back walls of the room, crushing it before they met back in the middle as the room around them started to crumble. Tabane's hideout was vastly large so by all accounts, the two will clash everywhere and make a mess of things.

With sparks and scrap metal flying all around them, their fight was just beginning.

"Let the games…begin." said the possessed Chloe.

"No, Ku-chan. They end here." retorted Tabane as the two went at it again with their blades.

They both pass by each other missing their strikes before Chloe teleported away and taunted the Rabbit.

"So you are the IS creator…but you are nothing more than a child, at best."

Tabane moved forward and swiped Chloe away with her blade before the silver-haired girl gets back up and blocks Tabane's incoming strike and pushes her back with such force.

Both meet in the middle before Chloe sets off an implosion that thrusts Tabane back against a wall. Being a biological IS, Chloe was able to manipulate the molecules around her and set off chain reactions that could create devastating effects.

Both meet in the middle as they clash at it again, the room turning into a giant mess as parts of the laboratory were destroyed.

"Do you like what I've done with your world?" asked Chloe. "I will twist it all…by my father's will."

Chloe and Tabane soon take to the air as an unending clash of weapons at such high speeds tears the room even more. Bit by bit as they fought, more sparks flew as the fires soon started to ignite.

Both Tabane and Chloe meet in the middle, blades clashed.

"A creator in name alone. I'm truly disappointed. Can't you do any better than that!?"

"Shut up!" cried the Rabbit as she backed off and charged in.

Chloe does the same as their blades met before backing off. Chloe then conjures up a sword of pure energy and uppercuts Tabane with it, sending her to the ceiling and crashing her back down. Tabane's dress was dirty and partially ripped up but she at least kept her bunny ears on.

Chloe teleports from behind and strikes at Tabane, knocking her back and leaving a mark on her back before the two went at it again as they flew all over the room, tearing it apart as they fought.

Tabane turns around to see Chloe get the jump on her as she grabs her face and slams the Rabbit to the ground before she brings her fingers under the Rabbit's chin.

"Soon…" The possessed Chloe said. "My revenge is soon at hand… How long have I waited…?"

"Ku-chan…it doesn't have to be this way." Tabane pleaded, hoping her old friend and servant was still inside her body from whoever was possessing her.

The possessed Chloe spoke with a smirk as she said, "Well, let's have it, then."

She then lifts Tabane up from the ground by the scruff of her neck before pushing her back saying, "You and your body…against all I have become."

Chloe then sheds her disguise as it crumbles away in blue flames to reveal GRIEVER as she brings out her energy sword.

Tabane looks on in shock and horror but shrugs it off as the true perpetrator showed herself. That meant that this fight was now starting to get real serious.

Using the full extent of her abilities and powers she implemented into herself, Tabane extends forth her weapons that swirl around her in blue holograms of sort as GRIEVER does the same. Both of their sets of weapons are of the same design.

"So, the Rabbit shows her true potential! At last!"

Both of them levitate with their weapons at the ready and then an unending clash of power went off as the two even took the battle outside of the hideout. The sky was dark as thunder and lightning clashed about as both Tabane and GRIEVER showed their true powers and unleashed hell. They even teleported to other parts of Tabane's hideout that acted as substitute laboratories for other experiments Tabane worked on, along with construction of new IS.

Their final clash in the sky ended when the two engaged at full power before a might explosion, destroying much of their landscape, ignited in flames and ash before the two fell to the ground and met back in the main lab, still on fire and falling apart.

Tabane struggled to her feet as she plunged a sword into the ground to support herself while GRIEVER slowly stood up. Both were exhausted yet Tabane was overloaded as her nanomachines were overheated despite her superhuman strength, agility, and self-healing.

"A war…of attrition, then." said GRIEVER. "Even now, my father witnesses this act. He calls you forth…to oblivion."

GRIEVER then heals herself as her injuries are healed by particles of blue light before she regains her strength, to the surprise of Tabane, unable to comprehend this individual being.

"Yet when you introduced the IS…" GRIEVER continued her taunt. "You changed the world and made it miserable for your sister!"

Tabane tried to deny the feelings in her heart she stowed away to not worry others. She truly cared for her sister yet to cause her pain is not what she wanted. Unfortunately, though she denies it, she did just that.

"When you gave her an IS…you lay watching, making her suffer even more for nearly losing her beloved!"

"Shut up!" Tabane screamed as she tried to attack GRIEVER but was knocked down immediately. She gets back up to attack but with her powers exhausted, all she could do was swing her sword as GRIEVER dodged effortlessly.

"You think ten years is a long time for the IS to have existed!?" asked Griever as Tabane continued to swing violently in her exhausted state. "That is nothing to me! I have safeguarded my father for ages!"

GRIEVER swings her large broadsword to Tabane's back and strikes her. Before she comes back up and swings at Tabane in the front.

In quick time events that no human eye could see, GRIEVER then summons a sword she swings at Tabane before she wields battle axe and hammers down onto Tabane before conjuring up a spear and impaling her. She then gets her broadsword and swings at her before backing off and uses a crossbow to fire at Tabane. Coming down from above, GRIEVER hammers Tabane with her sword before taking up a chainsword and slashing her upwards and then using a trident to impale her again. She then backed off and threw a large star shuriken at Tabane and then pulled out a katana to strike and then used a giant mace to once again bring the hammer down on Tabane before bashing her with a giant vertical shield. Finally, GRIEVER used her broadsword again and impaling the Rabbit through her before taking the blade out as Tabane stumbles back in pain before she turned and falls to her knees and hands. ( **Author's note** : Think of FFXV in the quick-time events against the final boss)

"And that…" GRIEVER said. "…is how you would end it."

In between each strike, Tabane used what remained of the nanomachines in her body to heal her devastating wounds but in the process, they were overheated and no longer functioned. It then left her as a mere human, fatigued of using her powers. Some injuries still remained on Tabane though as her face was a bit bloody, her dress shredded mostly into a mess, and one of her bunny ears destroyed.

Tabane was exhausted, coughing out loud badly, and depleted of her energy as she pushed her body beyond her limits. The nanomachines in her body have been completely fried and needed months to recover. Despite her vast intellect and genius mind to make them powerful, they were not strong enough against this new enemy that had destroyed and possessed Chloe and returned to her like this.

GRIEVER walked in front of Tabane from behind, not bothering to look at her and stood still.

Then GRIEVER spoke.

"Now, about that 1st IS you've kept hidden, the White Knight…" Chloe then lowers herself on one knee to Tabane after she turned to meet her.

"On second thought…You let her have it." GRIEVER says as she pulls out a knife from behind her and stabs Tabane right in the gut, the knife coated with tetrodotoxin and poisoning the Rabbit.

Tabane gasps as she had never felt such pain in her body as she was now reduced to being completely human thanks to the overloading of her nanomachines in her body.

"And do remind her of the Primal Origin's true nature." GRIEVER says as she immediately pulls the knife out of Tabane, making her fall to her side as she bleeds from her wound, clutching her stomach.

GRIEVER then turns her head to a still-functioning video camera that had caught the action, her eyes capturing it as if someone is watching from the camera.

"White Knight! Your Rabbit awaits!"

Tabane then positions herself upwards, even though the poison burned in her like hot oil on fire. She then turns her attention to GRIEVER while holding her stomach.

"You will utterly pay…for what you did to Ku-chan…"

GRIEVER directs her attention to Tabane before clutching her jaw with her right hand. Tabane places her hands on GRIEVER's hand.

"When they know what has happened to me, you will be discovered."

GRIEVER kept her cool stoic look before she violently takes her hand away from Tabane's arms as she fell to her side, being weakened by the poison and bleeding out even more. GRIEVER stands up before she looks at her arm, wondering about what had just happened before she shrugged it off.

"How sweet…" GRIEVER says as she turns around to Tabane and, in the mocking voice of Chloe's, gives one final statement.

"But please, Tabane-sama, you first."

GRIEVER then dissipates into blue light particles before those particles eventually swirled around Tabane and entered into the wound in her stomach.

Tabane then feels a new kind of pain, a sharp one as it thrusts her body upwards. Like the burning end of a hot searing knife, Tabane feels pain in her chest and her head as her eyes were starting to change color. Tabane felt her legs paralyzed yet looked around to see a functioning console. She crawls as she struggles against the pain in her stomach thanks to GRIEVER.

The room around her was falling apart as the fires erupted louder and more sparks flew everywhere. Her entire hideout was a mess and probably unsalvageable. It would take a miracle after all to build a new one because it was underground and even then, she would have to contend with being injured heavily and exhausted first. With her hideout crumbling around her, she only had a few seconds remaining before the entirety of it collapses all around her and bury her underneath the rubble.

But she knew that there was hope. Only one hope that she could have as she made her way to the console and typed in an SOS message to only one person who could receive on a secured channel.

"Chi-chan…help…me…"

Tabane could only mutter a few words to her SOS message before she collapses to the ground due to her pain and tetrodotoxin poison. Her eyes soon closed afterwards as her world became dark. Soon, the rest of the ceiling came down on top of her.

Only time will tell if Chifuyu received the message.

* * *

Madoka sits alone in her room with only dim lighting, wearing only a sports bra and long workout pants. Her body was comprised of some scars on her body, mostly from training and they were all mostly concentrated on her chest.

The darkness is where she feels most comfortable, especially given of yet another failure of another mission. Raiden was exposed in the IS Core Network, asleep and vulnerable to an attack. Yet Madoka had met resistance from those who came to wake him up. Had they not interfered, she could have ended the one rival she hated the most.

But once again, Madoka was met with failure. And failure was something she could not tolerate. She went into deep thought about her failed mission.

" _These pathetic fools…protecting Raiden like they admire him, adore him. They possess strength and power, but nothing like Raiden's…or mine."_

Anger grips Madoka as she clenches her fists her eyes becoming narrow and illuminating with a sense of fury.

" _Never again will I fail the next time. I will not…be humiliated again."_

Madoka's eye scar illuminates with a red glow as she reaches underneath her neck to feel the scar Raiden gave her years ago, when he defeated her and cut open her carotid artery. And in that moment, Madoka felt not just anger and humiliation.

Fear. Fear attracts the fearful, the strong, the weak, the innocent, the corrupt. Fear. Fear is Madoka's ally.

But what Madoka feared exactly was unknown. The only thing she could acknowledge is fear of failure. But on that particular day, it was not the fear of defeat or failure that she felt. Whatever that fear was, it remained a constant nag in Madoka's psyche as her red scar grew brighter, signifying her hatred of that one boy.

Madoka could recall that last mission they had together. Their relationship at that point was mostly professional and still friendly at least but internally Madoka felt envy to Raiden. It was on that last mission that both Madoka and Raiden killed the two people that had abandoned Madoka and her siblings from their life as children.

Her two abandoned parents who had casted them aside in favor of themselves. They were enjoying themselves on a small vacation island of Palau away from the danger of the world. Little did they know that danger was looking for them. Madoka could still remember that one night with Raiden, both of them going separate routes to reach her parents who were enjoying the night by the balcony of their hotel room before they went back in.

Madoka took the front entrance by their room door, disguised as one of the maids while Raiden roped himself down to their level. Madoka could still remember entering the room and greeting her parents, revealing to them her identity, to their horror. She then exclaimed to them how they failed her, abandoned her, and cared only for themselves.

If there was one thing Madoka could feel from them, it was their fear. In that moment of fear, Raiden came down from behind and stabbed Madoka's father in the gut before slicing his throat and instantly killing them without emotion and mercy.

Madoka's mother was in complete shock and horror before she felt herself kneed to the floor by Madoka, her hair tugged and knife to her throat. In that one tiny act of gratitude though, Madoka thanked her mother, for Madoka found her destiny and then sliced her mother's throat without hesitation. Both Raiden and Madoka then covered up their act by setting the apartment room ablaze before it reached the leaky gas pipeline and destroyed the entire hotel. Both Madoka and Raiden watched without emotion the success of their work, and it would be the last time they would experience it together.

From that day afterwards, every day Madoka had worked hard to catch up to him but Project Akuruka gave him a boost, whether he wanted it or not. Now that her past is dead and buried saved for her siblings, all she could focus on now is Raiden. With the nail bed in front of her, Madoka put her hands on it and lifted her body upwards to be perpendicular before she started doing vertical pushups. Madoka could feel the sting of each nail in her hands as she completed three sets of 75.

Madoka then moved onto weapons training, her body sweaty already. She trained with a pair of katanas, sickles attached to chains, and kunai knives and envisioned herself surrounded by her opponents. She also trained with using throwing stars while blindfolded to train and heighten her hearing senses. ( **Author's note** : _Reference is from the movie_ _ **Ninja Assassin – Training scene HD**_ _. YouTube it._ )

On each strike, she imagined the blood coming off from her victims. Like a ballet dancer, Madoka trained for six hours in her room, thanks to the nanomachines in her body that she was injected with. They were not exactly like Raiden's from Project Akuruka but they could give her an edge against her enemies and possibly Raiden.

And throughout that training, Madoka felt her fear becoming a weapon. She laughed quietly at the pleasure of it.

Meanwhile, Squall and Autumn were in bed naked together, after a long make out session they had for the night. Squall was smoking a cigarette as Autumn laid on her chest, hearing her heartbeat that she loved the sound by.

Squall was lost in her own thoughts as Autumn caught up on it.

"What are you thinking, Squall?" asked Autumn.

"Thinking you should go back to sleep." Squall teased with a smirk, earning Autumn's pink blush.

Squall took another puff of her cigarette as she plays with Autumn's hair.

"Tell me…" Autumn broke the silence. "Do you really intend to get him back?"

"Of course." Squall said immediately. "He is my pet after all."

"But you left him a long time ago. He doesn't serve our purpose anymore."

Squall could only smile. "That may be true. But I need to remind him where his path leads him. Raiden was special the first day I met him, and I want to make him remember that he will always find a way back to me."

Autumn can feel her envy of Raiden grow in her. Ever since Squall grew fond of him, Autumn felt nothing but jealousy for stealing her precious Squall. It was why she was his torturer during his childhood, among many other things Autumn did that Raiden knew nothing about.

More specifically, how Phantom Task was involved in the murder of Raiden's parents. And there was a secret to it that only Autumn and Squall knew of.

"Relax yourself, Autumn." Squall suggested. "It'll cause your beautiful face to look old. And I don't want that."

Autumn relaxed and surrendered herself to the bosom of Squall with such comforting happiness as Squall put away her cigarette. With Autumn asleep, Squall could now look at the picture of Raiden and smile.

"Be ready, Raiden." Squall said quietly to herself. "You are getting closer…to becoming mine once more."

* * *

When everyone around him heard how Ichika's morning is like, it honestly isn't anything special aside from the fact that it sounds or acts like he is an old man. He starts his day early, brushes his teeth and cleans himself up, along with some morning exercise. He then goes to the cafeteria to have a Japanese meal for breakfast.

Come nighttime, it is early for him as he doesn't waste much time after eating dinner and goes to bed early.

"Setting aside training, there's a reason why I always sleep early!" said Ichika.

"Reason?" asked Laura.

"Remember, I don't share a room with anyone. I don't have anyone to talk to, so I can't stay up late."

"Could it be that you're lonely, Ichika?" asked Kanzashi.

"N-No, it's not like that." Ichika was embarrassed to admit it as is face turned red.

"I guess I'll have to stay with you more!" Rin said, followed by the rest of the girls who have an excuse now.

"By the way…" Rin asked. "What's with all these cheap sweets?"

"I got them from the neighbors when I went back home." Ichika said. Rin took a bite into one of them.

"How nostalgic. We ate a lot of these back then."

"Like during trips." Ichika said. "We even worried about how many we could buy with the little money we had."

Then Cecilia obliviously had something to say.

"I do believe that you can't even buy a single one with only small change."

That made Rin growl like a bear in annoyance. "This is why I don't like rich people!" She said in her head. Then she decided to get snarky.

"And that's why I won't give any to you, Cecilia." Rin said. "The rich don't know what these sweets taste like."

"WHA!" Cecilia was shocked. "As if I need them! I regularly receive large pastries from home."

"No wonder, you've been putting on weight recently." Rin said as she grasped Cecilia's hips.

"T-That's not true!" Cecilia denied.

"Hmm. I don't think you should be bothered by it." Ichika said. Unfortunately, that pissed both of them off real bad. And he quickly fell under their wrathful gaze and voice.

"What do you mean by that!" cried Cecilia.

"Why are you looking at me like that! What an insensitive man you are!" shouted Rin.

"Maybe I should go on a diet too…" Laura said to herself after analyzing her own weight.

Kanzashi heard this though. "Hearing that from you makes me think you're being sarcastic."

It was just another typical day for Ichika Orimura and his experience at the IS Academy.

* * *

"A model, you say?" asked Charlotte to Tatenashi.

"Yes." The SCP said as she held up a poster of girls in full-body bunny outfits. "It's for the P.R. poster of the school and you'll be perfect for it, Charlotte-chan."

Charlotte takes the poster as Tatenashi.

"We'll just take a picture of you with some children, wearing a rabbit costume." Tatenashi clarified. "Like some little animal, kinda like this."

"What kind of PR will it be?" asked Charlotte.

"Huh? It's just an idea of mine." answered Tatenashi. "But I want to raise those young children who are suitable to be pilots here in the IS Academy."

"I see…" said Charlotte as she looked out to the window in doubt and concern. "Umm…I appreciate the thought of you asking me. But I'm not really in a position to do such a thing."

It is ironic for Charlotte to say that considering that she did wear that French poodle outfit for Raiden one time and truth be told it did make him feel enraptured by it. But now her in a bunny costume for children? While she certainly would be ideal to be a mother figure or big sister figure to them, the costume may make her feel embarrassed.

"However, I think Laura or Rin will do just fine for that." Charlotte suggested, hoping Tatenashi will look to them instead.

"Hmm…" Tatenashi then revealed her trump card. "Those two…Well, let's just say that they might not be able to fit into the role. Especially in some parts."

That last statement made Tatenashi look at Charlotte's breasts, oblivious to the French girl's notice.

"Parts?" asked Charlotte. But her question was ignored as she tried to get away from it politely.

"I'm really sorry. But…I really should be going now."

"Don't go just yet." Tatenashi reprimanded her calmly. "It'll be bad for you if you turn me down. After all, the power of the Student Council President is absolute."

A suggestion then pops up in Tatenashi's head. "How about I throw something in for you? Let's say…Be Raiden's roommate for a day?"

Tatenashi was merely teasing as she flicked her fan and gave a laugh.

But Charlotte's reaction as differnet, as if lightning struck her with something she could not refuse. To be Raiden's roommate for a day, it was a one in a lifetime opportunity. Tatenashi was Raiden's roommate and chances are when she moves out once she graduates, then either Charlotte or Houki will be Raiden's roommate. But if one whole day is worth putting on this bunny suit, then it is definitely is.

"Please! Let me do it." Charlotte said as she begged to be part of this program, to Tatenashi's surprise as she is shaken by Charlotte.

" _You're so predictable…"_

After agreeing to the deal, Charlotte was left alone. As Tatenashi went to get the costumes.

"I got roped into this, all because of a promise regarding Raiden." Charlotte said to herself. "That was really thoughtless of me. I should reconsider…"

The bashful Charlotte then shouted, "I really should not have agreed to do it!"

Her imagination then turned to Raiden holding her, telling her it has been lonely for him without her and wants to spend time with her. It then ended with her pushed to the bed before Charlotte snapped out of it to her embarrassment.

"That was kind of perverted of me!" Charlotte said while holding her head, her face all red. "This isn't the time for me to get caught up with my daydreaming! I have to stand my ground! Come to think of it, I wonder what she meant by rabbit costume?"

 **Hours later…**

"I hope the costume's fluffy and won't reveal that it's me." Charlotte said as she waited for Tatenashi with her costume. "A rabbit…a rabbit…I'm really worried.

Tatenashi soon came out wearing white fluffy bunny ears, see through stockings, and a skimpy dress with black heels. Contrary to a full piece costume, this was like a stripper's outfit, to Charlotte's shock.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Charlotte-chan!" Tatenashi said as she spun in circles. "What do you think? Really worth getting this custom-made, right?"

"And I so wanted for Kanzashi-chan to wear this as well." Tatenashi said but her little sister refused.

Charlotte did not know what to make if it and simply kept up her sheepish and cheesy smile.

"Could it be that I'll be wearing one too?" Charlotte asked.

"If Raiden wears this, I'm sure he can get any girl he wants. Oh my, this is useful. Come on now, we're going to have some fun."

Tatenashi grabs Charlotte and then starts to undress her.

"W-Wait a second, Senpa—WHA!?"

It was futile for Charlotte to resist was she was swiftly put into the same bunny suit as Tatenashi, the blue cat fixing and adjusting the ears.

" _I ended up wearing it…"_ Charlotte thought to herself in a melancholic expression.

Charlotte-chan." Tatenashi caught the French girl's attention. "Looks like you're really anxious. But, this is all for Raiden, isn't it?"

This made Charlotte peak her ears up as Tatenashi offered some advice.

"Please, don't be such a bother…" Charlotte politely asked.

"But, you want to be with him even for just a short time." Tatenashi pressed further in.

"Please don't read someone else's mind." Charlotte said with a forehead sweat drop.

"But, Raiden is someone dear to you, right?" asked Tatenashi.

It took Charlotte a moment to confirm it with a Yes as her face turned red.

"Good to see you're being honest." Tatenashi said. "Alright! Time for me to give someone a helping hand!"

But Charlotte said as she covered her cleavage. "Umm…The one doing that was me though…"

It was then that Tatenashi gave out her final trump card.

"By the way, the modeling gig was all a lie."

That made Charlotte shocked and baffled. "WHAT!?"

* * *

Chifuyu sits in her office once again. Another long day of paperwork and she needed a much deserved break. It was quiet in her office on a busy afternoon on the weekend for her. With some booze though, she was able to take her mind off of a few things.

All except one.

Pulling up a video on her screen, it showed exactly what had happened to Houki before she emerged out of the IS Core Network the first time. By siphoning through the data gathered from the lab and looking through Houki's memories of her traumatic experience, Chifuyu saw what many would see as an apocalypse, like the end of days had come.

The two Akuruturuka, Madoka and Raiden, clashing out in a battle to the death. It was something that was frighteningly beautiful but also a power that cannot be unleashed onto the world. With Raiden's IS now reaching 2nd Shift, it also meant his IS became more and more self-aware, being an artificial intelligence and all, and more powerful. All of it had to point towards one source.

The Primal Origin. Every time that name popped up, Chifuyu always narrowed her eyes for she knew that someone other than Raiden may get their hands on it eventually. If there is a way to seal off the power in the deepest part of the Network where no one would be able to reach it, then Chifuyu would make certain that it be done.

One Akuruturuka is bad enough. Two is a cataclysmic disaster.

Chifuyu was also focused on the words Raiden spoke during his clash with Madoka.

" _Akuruka…I seek even more! Devour my soul and in return, grant me the power to destroy my enemies and to tear the heavens and hells asunder! The gate…the gate that leads me to the Primal Origin…Guide me…Guide me to the furthest depth of your power!"_

Chifuyu believed to herself that if Raiden calls upon more power, he will overload himself to the point of no return. And given of Raiden's nature, he may certainly do just that. If that happens, then Chifuyu better hope she can stop Raiden before that happens.

A red light flashes and beeps over the console on Chifuyu's screen, in an SOS Morse code to Chifuyu's attention. Opening it as it displays the image, Chifuyu could only be shocked, her eyes wide and jaw slightly dropped at the sight.

"Tabane?"

Tabane's face was shown, bloody, battered, and her eye color flickering to blue and back to her normal color, as if she is struggling for control. In immense pain, she only spoke three words.

"Chi-chan…help…me…"

Tabane could only mutter a few words before she collapses to the ground before the rest of the ceiling came down on top of her and the video was cut off.

Chifuyu was shocked and her eyes wide as saucers, her jaw slightly dropped. For a moment, it felt as if time stopped in her tracks before she recomposed herself. Although Tabane was her old friend, albeit an annoying one, she would never know in a million years would someone find Tabane's hideout and attack her.

Now the Rabbit is trapped underneath tons of rubble at her hideout. Time was now against Chifuyu as she needed to get to Tabane and secure her before something worse comes. Although the Brunhilde often found the Rabbit bothersome as hell, she was still one of her first friends she made and from a logical point of view, anyone who captures her will want her to make new IS cores for their own pursuit of power.

Although she was the only one who knew where Tabane's hideout really was located, Chifuyu had to act fast before it is too late.

Chifuyu pulls out her phone to then contact someone as she made her way out of her office. The call was picked up by her contact.

"Yes, it's me. I need your help. And it's urgent."

* * *

In the dojo at school, Houki was on one knee practicing her Iaido as she drew out her katana quickly and sheathed it slowly.

" _I do not know how to triumph over others. Rather I know only how to triumph over myself. I want to protect my dearest beloved."_

After Houki finishes her workout, she goes to take a shower and wash herself. In that time, she had been thinking lately of her experience inside Raiden's mind. How she went through that harsh ordeal just to rescue him. Fighting her darker self in the form of her fears, learning about the Primal Origin from Raiden's mother, and to top it all, her confession of love. Though she wonders if Raiden heard her confession at all.

After Houki returns to her room, she lies on her bed and thinks only of her love for Raiden. Raiden has been through a lot in these past few months for their second semester, most of it fighting off Phantom Task that came. She could still remember the fight in Kyoto, of Raiden's Akuruturuka. Of how he had got out of it with such horrible injuries, including his left arm that needed to be amputated. It took a lot of physical therapy for him to get adjusted to missing a limb and getting a cybernetic one. And Houki was forced on the sidelines to watch.

Houki had enough of it. She doesn't just want to be there for Raiden at his side as he heals and recovers but he rather wants to be part of that healing, especially his physical wounds. And there was only one thing she can do to make that happen.

It had been a long time since Houki had spoken to either of her parents. She could still remember how she had to be separated from them due to Tabane and her invention of the IS. Her father, Ryuuin Shinonono, was always busy with his work as per his job and, while he did spend time with his family, it wasn't enough as his work took priority. He taught Houki the art of Kendo at least as her family did have a dojo at the time.

Her mother on the other hand, Miyako Shinonono, was quiet and sort of just blended in with the crowd mostly. But she loved both of her daughters and it broke her heart for her and her husband to be separated from them for their safety. She has a humble and calm personality, a motherly nature that was full of compassion. But she also suffered from a sight problem for she was suffering with an advanced form of visual impairment. It did not leave her completely blind, but just enough for her to not see things from far away.

Houki's mother also had intimate knowledge of herbalism and often made medicinal herbs from her garden that she had. Using traditional and ancient techniques without the use or need for modern technology, Miyako grew in skill and in knowledge. Often, Houki would come and see her work with her medicine, seeing her mother grind the herbs together.

Combined that with Houki seeing Raiden in pain, Houki did not just want to be in his presence as he recovers. He also wanted to help heal him with medicine. Her longing to help Raiden not just on the battlefield or in the IS but in life in general made her want to learn herbalism. Grabbing her phone, she dialed her mother who picked up the call.

"Hello?"

Houki was hesitant in her first words as it had been years since she last spoke to her.

"Mother. I-It's been a long time."

( **Author's note** : _Insert soundtrack: AQUAPLUS – Utawarerumono: Futarino Hakuoro (Additional Soundtrack) – Yukyuno Daichi_ ) ( **Look up on iTunes** ) ( **Youtube** **Utawarerumono Mask of Truth OST – Immortal Land** **under the Youtuber Weiss** )

"That voice…Houki, is that you I hear?" asked Miyako.

"Yes, mother. It's me." Houki said, a bit of a tear forming in her right eye.

Miyako's heart fluttered at the sound of her youngest daughter's voice.

"Is everything all right? I hope you are having a good time at the IS Academy…"

"I'm alright, mother. I'll admit, I've been in a few rough spots here and there but it's alright."

Houki could not tell her mother exactly that she was involved with fights with Phantom Task or that she had a nightmare inside the IS Core Network. After all it would make her mother worried sick.

"Oh, enough of the bottling up. I heard about your heroics, how you defended the school and its students from an attack even here, you know."

Houki tried to cover it all up though out of embarrassment.

"W-Well, some of those rumors are…exaggerated. If anything, it was the others who…"

"Don't talk like that. You did a very honorable thing, and there's no shame in it." said Miyako in a motherly compassionate tone. "And it led you to me. Your mother. It makes me rest just a little easier knowing you're still here with me, even from far away, you know."

Houki could not help but sigh and feel accepting of her mother's wisdom. If anything, it made her feel happy to be reconnected to her family at least.

"But enough of that." said Miyako. "What's coaxed you out of your school life today, then, hm?"

Houki took a deep inhale of breath and exhale quietly as she revealed the reason for her call.

"Mother…I want to learn what you are learning. I want to learn how to make herbalism medicine."

This made Miyako surprised, if not making her chuckle a tiny bit.

"Oh? And what brought this up?"

This was the hard part for Houki to say as she took another deep inhale and exhale.

"Well…I'm sure you have heard of the 2nd male IS pilot…?"

"Yes…" confirmed Miyako.

"He was always fighting and fighting yet he comes back with injuries that leave him hospitalized. And I feel powerless to help him. That's why I—"

Miyako then interrupted him and asked calmly with a smile on her lips.

"You love him, don't you?"

That made Houki stop, being shocked at her mother's ability to read her mind. It made Houki hesitant to confirm it before she decided to come clean.

"I…yes. I do love him."

"You love him to the point where you want to help ease his pain physically and mentally, don't you?" asked Miyako.

"Yes." Houki answered as her fists grip tightly a bit. "He says that he only wishes to protect the ones he cares for, but I just don't understand though why he gets such injuries in the process."

"Perhaps it is because when he says he will protect something, he would put his life on the line to protect the ones important to him. Houki, if you cannot stop him from being injured, then you can just heal the injuries he has. By doing that, in your own way, you're protecting the one important to you. Isn't that what only you can do?"

Houki was silent and she knew in her heart that her mother was right. She cannot stop Raiden from being injured but with this opportunity to learn of her mother's herbalist skills, she can heal him without having him confined to the infirmary a lot.

"Thank you, mother." said Houki. "So, will you teach me?"

Miyako simply smiled as she looked at her herbalism work in front of her.

"I will definitely teach you. But be warned that I won't go easy just because you are my daughter. I'll be arriving tomorrow and taking residence at your aunt's shrine."

The call ends for Houki as she brings her phone to her chest and looks up with renewed hope and joy, eager to learn the art of healing for the one she loves the most.

* * *

Raiden looks out to the sunset that laid before him on the roof of the IS Academy. Two months have already passed by since he recovered from his traumatic experience inside the IS Core Network. Physically he was fine, save for his cybernetic left arm that needed some treatment, but emotionally and mentally, he was changed. He felt…enlightened as he looked to the horizon and beyond if possible.

He looks down to see his Akuruka lion mask that he conjured up in the form of light particles, which had now become a part of his IS that he would wear when he activated his IS. His true power was now made manifest before him, taking on a physical object.

He then understood that any IS pilot who has gained the power of the Primal Origin will receive a mask that takes the form of a creature to show their animalistic nature, of what they represent. But receiving such power is not easy because getting to the Primal Origin is hard if not impossible, all because it was not meant to be handled by IS pilots, along with the fact that GRIEVER, the Primal Origin's guardian, stood watch over anyone trying to get it as per her programming.

As Raiden put his mask away, he could still feel his blindfold around him and his iron tessen he had at his side. He also looks at his metal cybernetic left arm, remembering his fight with Madoka in Kyoto. He had received word from Miriam that he must return to the CIA headquarters in Japan to complete the final touches to his arm for it to be a truly functional cybernetic arm rather than just a metal skeletal arm attached to a motor controlled by muscle interaction.

He thinks about how far in these last two semesters he has come and of all that he had went through. Yet the most recent events of today have left him with a feeling of foreboding. Of what he is dreading in the near future.

Those feelings became apparent by a familiar voice that was right behind him, her back onto his.

"You're gazing at the sky aimlessly again." Akane Fujimoto said. "Just like you use to as a kid every night to see the stars."

"I cannot help it." said Raiden. "It's something I find solace in. Sometimes I wonder if you are really watching me from up there."

"Sometimes I am. The sake they got up here is really, really good."

"Save me some." asked Raiden.

"Not a chance, kid." Akane said. "Even though they keep refilling, I'm not stopping 'till I drink it all."

Raiden couldn't help but smile a bit before he went back to his melancholic look as he looked out to the binary sunset.

"What's eating you though?" asked Akane. "You don't sound like yourself lately."

"I was just thinking…" Raiden said. "These last few months have been nothing but a shitload of crap. Phantom Task returns, I meet Squall again, my IS is getting more and more self-aware, trapped in the IS Core Network, and to top it all, your history with me revealed to Chifuyu regarding my past."

"Sounds like another typical day." smirked Akane.

"What would you know of typical days?" asked Raiden back as sarcasm.

Both of them got a good chuckle out of that as Raiden continued his line of thought.

"There is a war coming, Akane. I don't know when, I don't know who we will be fighting. But it's coming."

Akane then had something to say next.

"But so what if the future looks terrifying? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up."

Akane then brought her M24-SWS sniper rifle to herself and said, "Remember what I taught you. The path you pick is yours to take. Whatever that path may be, anyone who has mastered something will fall back on their specialty and always hit their mark no matter what else they do. And what is it that people don't do…?"

"They never slip up." Raiden finishes the sentence. "People who can do that without thinking are geniuses. Those who spare no effort after giving it thought can also become geniuses."

Akane then remarked about something pertaining one of her lessons as she put a hand on her heart.

"Well, okay, you were never one to defend a country as you don't care much for its politics. Same for me. After all, it is what is in the heart that counts the most."

"Akane…" Raiden said as he gained a small smile.

"Don't tell me you need to talk to me further. I am on a time limit here."

"Ha! You just worry about yourself." Raiden said as he gave a huge sigh of relief and a big smile.

Akane turned around, but not fully, to meet her protégé.

"You've already been through hell once, right?" Akane quipped up. "The future should be a cinch."

"Yeah…" Raiden responded as Akane turned her back again. She then left off with one final confirmation.

"Raiden…" Akane asked, catching his ears. "You know what I told you."

Raiden answered, "That's right…I can fight for my own sake now. Because I am your protégé."

With that, Akane closes her eyes with a smile as she dissipates into white light and soon Raiden is met with the sun just gone over the horizon. He looks at the beautiful sky with hope.

"The past is behind me. My life now is one of war. And I will never stop fighting, even at the cost of everything. Because I am…"

Raiden then activates his IS Lion Heart, now in its 2nd Shift mode called Sovereign Spirit.

"I am Raiden Hataru. Raiden Hataru, the 2nd Male IS Pilot. Raiden Hataru, the first of the Akuruturuka. My journey, my war…is only beginning."

 **THE END**


	32. Note from Author

**And now here is a word from our Author.**

Thank you all for this incredible journey and enjoying the first story/arc of Raiden Hataru, my OC for Infinite Stratos. I love this series and wish the author would continue it but he is slow. Note that I do not own anything related to Infinite Stratos as all of the work goes to its author, Izuru Yumizuru.

But this is **not** the end of Raiden's story as he said so himself in the epilogue. Rest assured, I will continue his story onto the next one:

 **Sovereign Spirit: He Who Brings Order Through Chaos**

As for other stories on my home screen, those are currently in development as I have ideas on paper of what the story will be about but I have yet to start writing considering my busy school life.

Be assured that I will not forget them at all.

Stay tune for the next story of Raiden Hataru, hopefully coming out soon.

 **Until next time guys...See Ya!**


End file.
